Third Time's a Soul Bond?
by Wilde-Guess
Summary: After the "Girl Who Conquered"'s crazy girlfriend ambushed DOM Battle Mage Ron Weasley, he had hoped that he was back in his original dimension, even if he was obliged to "start from conception" yet again. Resolved to do his best, he charges ahead, running into a "Soul Bond" Slash, but not "crack" after Chapter 5. See profile for full summary due to insufficient space here.
1. Chapter 1, Back again, Ron?

Last edit 4 Nov 2017.

The usual disclaimers for Harry Potter Fanfiction apply. While I will minimize direct quoting, a FEW direct quotes from the US Hardcover Editions of the Rowling books will occur under "fair use." This is also somewhat inspired by the fanfiction story "The Red Knight" by "Demon Eyes Laharl." However, since his work is still a WIP, my "ending" to his story will be different from HIS ending.

This is at least partly a "slash" romance between Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. It is also a "slow build," since Harry will not appear until Chapter 6. Please read my profile for the full summary, since it will not "fit" with the character limit currently in place.

For the latest editing updates for this story, please read my profile. I will try to make as few "author's notes" as possible in the chapters themselves Most people want to know how many words are in the story, not get a 1500 word chapter and 7500 words about answering reviews, asking for reviews, etc.

On with the story…

 **Chapter 1. "Back again, Ron?" where Ron goes back again, outs a rat, and gets a cat.**

I _tried_ to tell Azalea Harriet Potter that having Hermione Granger paroled from Azkaban was a bad idea. Rather, I succeeded, but Harriet being Harriet and the Girl Who Conquered simply ignored me and persuaded Minister Shacklebolt to release Granger to her custody. "Harri" claimed that Granger's repeated attacks on my person and family were merely "temporary and transitory insanity," and would not return.

Once she vanquished Voldemort, there were very few things that she wanted that Harri _couldn't_ get. Unfortunately, I was one of them. It wasn't entirely her fault. It wasn't mine at all. Because of whatever evil shite the "other-Ron" had pulled in this world, and neither Harri nor Granger had the common decency to even _tell_ me, things just couldn't work out.

Not that they would have been easy, anyway. Harri and Hermione had discovered one method of time travel, and had used it repeatedly to get to the point of defeating Voldemort for good. They didn't quite make it on the first repeat, or the second, or the third, or the _fourth…_

Needless to say, all of that time-looping left them both somewhat "loopy," particularly Granger. Between what they did to each other and themselves, and what they did to "their" Ron Weasley, my alter-ego appeared to have "popped a cog" even sooner than they had. In their last "spite-loop," they somehow managed to destroy his spiritual existence entirely, and they accidentally kidnapped _me_ from _my dimension_ to take his place. Lovely.

Because of the similarities, and more importantly the _differences_ between this second lifetime and my first, I knew "just enough" about what was going on to be dangerous both to myself and others. Harry being "Harri" was only the tip of that iceberg. Fortunately, in my first fifty-six years of life, I had also learned to be flexible and to adapt _quickly_ to changed or mistakenly observed circumstances.

Since Harri and Granger couldn't be bothered to tell one "Ron Weasley" from the next, I was not available to be courted. Instead, for my own safety, the Sorting Hat deliberately "mis-sorted" me into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. The hat did it so I wouldn't be murdered in my own bed. Waking up _alive_ each morning was actually one of my more favourite habits, so I had no quarrel with the hat sorting me away from certain death.

Somehow, I managed to help ensure victory from the Serpent House. My aiding Harri and Granger in helping Tom Marvolo Riddle shuffle off the mortal coils was actually in spite of Harri and Granger's best efforts rather than because of them. They just refused to accept that we were on the same side!

I also became enmeshed with the Greengrass family in such a way that short of total incompatibility, I was obliged to marry Daphne, Darius and Mariana Greengrass's eldest daughter. Incompatibility was the farthest possible thing from what actually happened. Daphne and I were friends before the end of first year, and dating before the start of third. We married shortly after the defeat of Voldemort in 1996.

"Enmeshed" is also too negative a word. I had neither sought nor dreamed that I would receive Darius Greengrass's sponsorship. But once we met, I treasured every minute I spent with them. Darius, Mariana, and I always got on quite well, and I treasured their company every bit as much as they enjoyed mine. Darius was truly a mentor and second father. Mariana was the mother my second lifetime otherwise denied me, since my gender made me a "failure" in the eyes of Molly Weasley. Whether I was a failure myself, or her failure, it didn't matter. That Molly Weasley blamed me, and I was the one who paid.

The timing of Daphne's and my marriage, and Granger's incarceration were part of the same incident. Harri was deep in her cups at a Ministry function celebrating Voldemort's defeat. To be blunt, Harri "put the moves' on me _again_ and blatantly so. I was _not_ amused in the slightest. Granger and Daphne were even less so.

Granger decided that this was _my_ fault, as she always did, and this time started firing killing curses like they were candy. It took Professor McGonagall, Minister Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin, and me transfiguring like mad to keep Granger from killing anyone. Harri herself finally stopped the mêlée with an overpowered stunner after almost a full minute, which in a wizarding battle of that level was damned near an eternity.

It would seem that Granger was not and never would be the type of woman to "share." At the time, it seemed fortunate that Granger was only stunned and taken into custody. We were also lucky that no one else was killed or seriously injured.

Daphne was also not the kind of woman who would share. Except that where Granger went with killing curses and over the top violence, Daphne went with tears and cunning. I tried my best to sooth Daphne that night. It was _not_ my idea to break an engagement with a woman whom I loved full stop. I definitely wouldn't do so in favour of a woman whom I could "maybe eventually" love with a psychotic lesbian genius girlfriend who wished me dead. Consoling led to kissing, which led to her placing me in a body-bind with my clothing banished...

Darius was furious, but far more with Daphne than me, though he was angry enough for both of us. After I assured him that I had not wanted Harri Potter's attention at all, he calmed down towards me. When I assured him that I would still stand by Daphne and still loved her, he calmed down enough for me to reason with him.

He was displeased all over again when he discovered that Daphne had only completed her June menstrual cycle two days before the party, and had missed her July "monthly." He was more upset still that he was only finding out in mid-October. She became a "December Bride," and Molly Mariana Weasley came into the world on my birthday the following March.

Molly was the perfect birthday gift. She had her mother's colouring but the build of a Prewett girl, and my eyes. She was also wicked smart. She made different cries for being hungry, needing her nappy changed, being tired, and so on in less than a month. She took even less time than that to get on a regular schedule. She was talking in complete sentences by two, and reading by three. Like her two half-siblings from my first lifetime, she also "knew" when I was home from work or wherever.

She was also scarily precocious. Rather than learning from private tutors like her Mum and Auntie Astoria, she wanted to go to a school with other kids. At the age of _four,_ she wrote a letter requesting an entrance exam and interview to the Dragon Pre-Prep School in Oxford, of all places. The truly scary part is that it actually _got_ there, _without_ violating the Statute of Secrecy. The first that Daphne and I were aware of it was when she brought the return letter agreeing to a meeting, so we could "hide the magic from the Muggle teacher."

She had very good control of her accidental magic. She was also able to come up with Muggle-worthy excuses for what happened even better than Daphne and I. So, we decided to try her out as a day student. Even with their demanding curriculum, she was in the fifth grade the last I knew.

Going back to the "party," it was the last straw for me going "back" to Croaker at the DOM. Harri (and Granger before she popped her cog) were directly appointed to the Auror Corps for their service against Voldemort, as was I. I had also been training "off the books" under Alastor Moody since my third year at Hogwarts.

However, I did not want to be stuck between two jealous women because of the attentions of a third, even if one of them was serving what was advertised as a life sentence in Azkaban. So, I transferred from DMLE to DOM and once again worked as a Battle Mage, along with Milli Bulstrode, who transferred with me and remained my partner at work.

This worked quite nicely until May of 2015, when Shacklebolt signed off on paroling Hermione Granger to Harri's custody. I objected as much as I could get away with. So did Darius, and even Algernon Croaker, the head of the Department of Mysteries and my boss; all to no avail.

However, Harri had indeed worked the "Potter Magic," along with using the Black clout and _money_. Shacklebolt _himself_ couldn't be bought. However, the people around him that made his professional life liveable or not, and who basically helped him figure out what he would do or say, _could_ be. So several _cha-chings_ later, Granger's otter was moving around the Monopoly board of life once again.

Besides, Granger _was_ a war hero, after all. It was _Hermione Granger_ who stood at the shoulder of the "Girl Who Conquered" and sent "He Whose Self-Chosen Name Was Even More Stupid than What the Daily Prophet Called Him to Avoid Using That Name" off to his eternal reward. The ginger kid was just a supporting player, don't mind him. Besides, he's a _pureblood,_ and wasn't it _them_ who started the whole mess in the first place? Never mind that the "ginger kid" destroyed more Horcruxes than they did, or that most of the Death Eaters the "Dynamic Duo" _didn't_ face had the misfortune to run into a guy from Devon with a nasty temper and very quick and deadly aim.

Granger would also be seeing a mind healer for the next five years or longer on a twice-weekly basis, or so they claimed. She would be in the direct custody of the greatest war hero to date, which _certainly_ stopped her before. Since she hadn't actually injured or killed anyone, Shacklebolt concluded, justice was best served with mercy by paroling Granger to Harri's custody.

Harriet got her lover back, and she was at least somewhat happy. But the "temporary insanity" as Harri described it wasn't nearly so temporary at all. To give Harri some credit, she might actually have _believed_ that Granger would behave and not attack me. Like the "original" Harry, she was more than willing to give _many_ extra chances to those she loved that had hurt her. I myself had benefited from the original Harry's willingness to forgive. Providing Granger stayed well away from me and mine, I would be happy for the both of them.

Granger's "insanity" returned with a vengeance inside of a month. Said vengeance included knocking me out, kidnapping me and taking me to the Department of Mysteries, and throwing me through the same malfunctioning presence that pulled me into this barking world in the first place.

Actually, it's _that_ world now, since I was now being squeezed down Mum's birth canal a _third_ time, which is frankly twice more than I care for, thank you very much—especially since I actually _remember_ the second time.

This time, once I finally came out and was cleaned up, they handed me to MUM. Not the indifferent to slightly hostile woman who birthed me in _that_ world and sort of raised me, but MUM, who actually loved me, like well, a _Mum._

In my second lifetime, that "Molly Weasley" had been so desperate for a daughter that she blamed _me_ for being a boy instead of a girl, and didn't make that much of a secret of it. I eventually "got over it," more or less. And in fairness to _that_ "Molly Weasley," my rose-tinted memories of my _original_ Mum would have been tough to compete with, even if she had tried. Of course, the more "unreasonable" side of me said that if she wanted to bear a daughter that badly, then maybe should have fallen in love with a man who _didn't_ have seven generations without female siblings in the male line.

But now, for the first time in almost twenty-five years, I was truly _happy._ It was the First Day of March in the year 1980, I was alive, and Mum and Dad loved me. All was right in the world, at least for right now.

Of course, I was also a newborn. I couldn't sit up on my own for months. I couldn't even hold my own head up at first. I was totally helpless. I even had to wear nappies again. Some things really _are_ best if they are forgotten.

Still, things could have been worse. And as much as Daphne and little Molly needed me, they were just as far beyond my help if they needed it as I was beyond being able to help them. So, I cried tears of anger and pain as well as happiness. Once again, through no fault or action of my own, I had lost a family that loved me, and that I loved in return. Of course, being an infant, crying, eating, soiling my nappy, and sleeping were about all I _could_ do.

§§§

Actually, for the first nineteen months or so, things were great! Mum loved me, Dad loved me, and all was right with the world. Unlike my first unwilling jaunt to "a" past, I was actually able to remember everything. That meant that whatever Granger had done hadn't followed me this time. So, while I knew that this lifetime would probably be different from the first two, I at least had a chance of _finding_ the "surprises" this life had to offer before they found me.

Even better yet, my magic _did_ follow me, and didn't insist on my having a wand before I could use it. While I didn't try to "show off," especially not at first, this _did_ make my life even easier. Instead of waking Dad up if I woke up hungry at two in the morning, I could "zap" Mum with just enough of a stinging hex so I didn't have to make my "hungry cry" all that loud. I got fed, since Mum insisted on nursing me instead of feeding me formula, Dad got to sleep in, and everyone was happy. If I just needed a dummy or wanted a different stuffed animal, I could summon it. If I had "extra solids" in my nappy, I could just banish them and go back to sleep.

Of course, with an adult soul and mind working through a toddler brain, I wouldn't exactly be debating with _Hermione_ any time soon, but I was doing all right. While I wasn't trying to show off, I could say enough words to be getting on with for a young toddler, and I even managed to say "mummy and da" for my "first" words. I made both of their days.

The "life vs. brain" issue would at least be less of a surprise for me in this lifetime. While I had all of my life experience, I was still funnelling this knowledge and experience through the physical body of a child. Even with my magic accelerating my brain growth and shape a LOT in my second lifetime, a lot of my actions were driven intellectually rather than biologically. This doesn't mean that I didn't act "older" than my age. Two lifetimes worth of habits aren't easy to break altogether, particularly with those habits being "good" ones.

In other cases though, particularly if I was sick, hurt, very tired, or scared, I acted almost EXACTLY as I would if I were purely my biological age. Those times embarrassed me even more than if I were _actually_ "that age" since I couldn't shake the feeling that I actually _knew_ better than to do whatever I did.

I had already made my mind up, though. Beyond what I "had" to do to act my age, most of which actually felt natural, I would be _me._ After that cold "cluster" known as my second childhood, I would not turn my nose up at an extra hug, cuddle, or kiss, since I pretty much had _two_ childhood's worth of that to catch up with.

I also hadn't a clue how I was _supposed_ to act at any given age. I figured that if I only did the least acting I could to get by, that I had that much less of a chance of messing up and _really_ attracting attention. If Mum and Dad believed that I needed a Mind Healer, they would _find_ a way to pay for one. But if "Little Ronnie" was merely a "gifted" child, they would have no complaints, and neither would I.

I also decided that I would keep using my wandless magic unless or until it went away; and if it never did, they would "get used to it." If "Little Ronnie" _always_ did wandless magic, then that would be the way it was. Our family always had a "sense," if you will, of not bragging if the bragging could hurt the family, particularly Mum and Dad. I had also yet to meet a wizarding family that would tell their child that they were doing "too much" magic.

I would also get a second shot of "life vs. libido" to go with that, since I had no intention of being celibate for an entire lifetime. One could argue that dating girls my "biological" age would be creepy as hell because of having lived two previous lifetimes. Dating those of my "experiential" age would be creepier still, and would attract far more critical notice. I had thought about remaining celibate at times during my second childhood, particularly after finding out that "second Granger" wanted me dead, and would rather see the entire human race die off than go out on a date with me. Daphne and puberty "cured" me of that mindset.

The biggest problem I had opening up to Daphne emotionally when she made me start dating her was that I was experientially "older" than she was by a number of years larger than her father's age. I was lucky that our dating was far more _her_ idea than mine. I also told her that I had involuntarily time-travelled as soon as I realized that I actually _liked_ Daphne and was starting to fall in love with her, rather than waiting. I was still scared as hell when I told her, and even months later was still prepared to _Obliviate_ her of the memory of that conversation if I suspected that the romantic part of are relationship might end.

If a person went around claiming that they were a time traveller, they would typically be branded "crazy" and locked up in St Mungo's. Worse yet, though, if anyone with power _believed_ them, then they would at best have their minds read so thoroughly that they would likely need a stay at St Mungo's as well. If a Death Eater were to find out that I was on life number three, and had helped defeat their master twice, they would kidnap me, pull every bit of knowledge from me they possibly could, and by the time they were done I would _welcome_ the death they would have on offer for me. So while I would eventually tell _someone_ , and in fact would tell _several_ someones, that wouldn't be any time soon, or anybody that I didn't trust with my life _and_ being able to trust with a deadly secret.

§§§

The first serious threat I faced in my "new and improved repeat childhood" came in mid-November. That was when Percy brought in The Rat. The Rat is evil incarnate in ANY lifetime. And, to _hell_ with the timeline! He was probably Obliviating me in my second lifetime, and may well have been messing with Mum's mind too. So, Peter Pettigrew had to go. I would send the git packing every bit as quickly as he had arrived.

We were in the kitchen. Mum was holding me while five-year-old Percy had tears in his eyes as he begged her and Dad to let him keep his newly found pet. I actually didn't begrudge Percy having a pet really. I just didn't want Percy keeping a pet Death Eater.

So, in my seriously cute nineteen-month-old voice I shouted, "Evil Rat Man." I pointed at The Rat, and silently forced Pettigrew back into human form. I also banished his left sleeve, so his Dark Mark was plainly visible. Wandless magic is a bear even for a grown wizard. However, with genuine terror for an inspiration, I got the job done without quite passing out.

Mum and Dad did what any Weasley family parents would do with the sudden appearance of a Death Eater on their kitchen table. Mum screamed, Dad swore, and they both stunned the ever-loving shit out of Pettigrew. Seriously, when the stunners hit him, he literally shat _through_ the seat of his trousers! I managed to say "no kill, trial" before taking an unplanned nap from borderline magical exhaustion.

§§§

The rest of my toddler and preschool years were fairly "boring." I learned to speak as quickly as I could manage, and was "potty trained" before age two. I wasn't trying to show off. However, life is much easier if you don't go to the loo in your pants and if you can actually communicate with those around you.

I also learned my letters, numbers, and how to read before age three. Like all wizarding homes, we didn't have a telly, only the Wizarding Wireless. So, if you wanted entertainment, you had to find it on your own. With everything I needed to learn to help Harry, I had two needs that complimented each other nicely. First, I needed to read and study a _lot._ Second, I needed my family to find it "normal" for me to read and study a lot. So, I learned my letters and numbers, and "figured out the rest."

Percy also "taught" me how to play chess. Bill and Charlie didn't have that much time, and the Twins didn't have the patience to learn the game. Percy quickly came to regret teaching me, though. My chess game had only gotten better over the years, and I had a lot more years than Percy did. After "dumbing down" my game for a few weeks, which still left me very competitive, I worked my way up to playing at my best. And, my best was actually good enough to compete on the professional circuit. But, I wasn't exactly looking to be _famous,_ and there wasn't quite enough money in professional chess to make up for the turmoil it would put the family through if I were to complete professionally.

I also built up my confidence in wandless magic, especially once I realized that it was never going to fade. I certainly had genuine "accidental" magic, since I was that young. However, my family gradually realized that not all of my magic was accidental, and it _wasn't_ fading.

The Twins quickly realized that if they teased "Little Ronnie" _too much,_ then Little Ronnie would raise his hand, and they would get a Knockback Hex or a Stinging Hex, and that my Stinging Hexes left welts. They also learned that Little Ronnie could cast a Shielding Charm, and that if Little Ronnie had to cast a Shielding Charm, the Stinging Hex would follow closely behind.

Mum discovered the Shielding Charm just as quickly, but for a different reason. If she had Ginny and me at the table at the same time, Ginny would sometimes start throwing food at me, particularly when she first started eating solid food. While I never retaliated, I also didn't care to get pelted with food, and after a while just started raising a shield when Ginny started chucking mashed peas, applesauce, or whatever.

Ginny herself would get the occasional tickling charm. Percy would occasionally get a cheering charm if I thought he was sulking too much. I was sparing with those since they actually change your mood. Sometimes he _needed_ one though, and I had more than a few to spare.

I also tended to keep my room more neatly than most kids my age, or so I later learned. At the time though, I didn't see a problem. I was able to find things quickly, and I wasn't getting talked to by Mum for having a messy room. With the books I was starting to accumulate, I was able to find the book I was looking for more easily if my room was neat, and the books were properly shelved when I wasn't reading them.

§§§

I didn't learn until I was four and thought to ask that Pettigrew actually _was_ tried. The full Wizengamot exonerated and freed Sirius Black. They convicted Pettigrew, and sentenced him to fourteen consecutive life terms in Azkaban plus one-hundred-fifty years. I didn't learn most of the details until a few years later.

Delores Umbridge was in charge of the Dementors when the Wizengamot summoned Sirius for trial. She had the Dementors try to kiss Sirius Black no less than a dozen times in less then four hours between when he was removed from Azkaban and when he was actually brought for trial, barely alive.

Arcturus Black, the then Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black was not amused in the least. When it came out that Delores Umbridge was Peter Pettigrew's aunt, he was even less than amused. The Aurors and guards caught her actually having the Dementors try kissing Sirius _twice_ before anyone decided to _do_ anything about it. They only acted when they did because people actually realized by then that Sirius was completely innocent!

Umbridge went to trial that afternoon, for her "unique" method of controlling Dementors. The Wizengamot had just exonerated Sirius completely. They sentenced Pettigrew to fourteen Life terms in Azkaban plus one-hundred-fifty years for his crimes. They also had Pettigrew branded with an anti-Animagus-transformation rune set without the aid of a numbing charm to minimize his chances of escaping. While they hadn't expected to hold more trials that day, the world was watching. So, they got on with it.

Umbridge was instantly branded a "hostile witness," and stuffed to the gills with Veritaserum. Even with Lucius Malfoy interfering with the questioning as much as he could possibly get away with, Umbridge implicated Obliviator Cornelius Fudge, Auror John Dawlish, and almost implicated Malfoy himself.

The Wizengamot was forced to make a "special" example of Umbridge. She was not only complicit in Sirius Black's erroneous charging, but deliberately tried to murder him with the full power of the Ministry behind her. Even Lucius Malfoy stated that she had gone too far, though he was privately more upset that the Aurors caught her. The rest of the Wizengamot Members were far less forgiving. They decided that her fate needed to make the history books as an object lesson in why a Ministry functionary shouldn't overstep their bounds, and that the Wizengamot itself should take care not to abuse its authority.

The Wizengamot sentenced her to receive the Dementor's Kiss right then and there, with no appeal or delay. Then, both her now truly soulless body, _and the Dementor that had kissed her,_ were forced through the Veil of Death.

The Wizengamot had already awarded Sirius the equivalent of twenty year's salary as an Auror tax-free for his unlawful incarceration without trial. They also awarded him a pension of one hundred percent of his gross salary as an Auror, again tax-free. They set his pension to increase every time the Aurors themselves got a raise. He was also awarded lifetime payment of all medical and dental healing anywhere in the world where Sirius or his guardian (for the first six months or so he did need one) decided that care should be provided. They immediately raised Sirius's immediate compensation up to fifty-years' salary, plus all of Umbridge's assets and vaults.

The Wizengamot convicted John Dawlish of knowingly helping Umbridge both in framing Sirius, and trying to have him kissed repeatedly. He lost all of _his_ assets to Sirius and got the veil, after they publicly stripped him naked in open court for "betraying his badge and uniform." They also tossed his clothing and wand through the veil, though this was more symbolic, since wands and clothing passed through the veil unharmed unless worn by or carried by someone who was not dead. The Fiendfyre chamber got the job done that evening.

Fudge got off comparatively light, since he didn't have anything to do with the Dementors. But since he was complicit in the unlawful incarceration, they fined him one hundred thousand galleons, and they sentenced him to five years in Azkaban. The Ministry also gave him a lifetime ban from any employment with the Ministry, and a ten-year bar from being allowed to carry a wand after his release from prison.

What the general public did not know was that after Sirius got of Saint Mungo's long-term ward eighteen months later; he had a falling out with Dumbledore. Dumbledore had a restraining order placed on Sirius keeping him away from Harry Potter until our first year at Hogwarts.

But I'm getting just a bit ahead of myself. I didn't ask before then because I was trying to be a prodigy without being that _much_ of a prodigy, if you can follow. I was also growing up.

I asked about what happened when I did because Percy was finally going to get a pet. It took Percy three years and a month after The Rat was exposed before he finally worked up the courage to ask for another pet. Despite having a younger brother who was friendly with him, he wanted a companion animal, and one that was _only_ an animal.

"Mummy, I'm happy that Percy is getting a kitty. But why are we getting it today?"

"Ronnie, Percy thought he found a pet a few years ago. But something happened to it. He's only now willing to have a pet again."

"You mean the Evil Rat Man? Did he get his trial?"

Mum answered honestly, simplifying things for a _very_ precocious four-year-old. She silently prayed to Merlin that I would forget. Fat chance of that happening, but anyway…

"Yes, he got his trial. An innocent man was also freed."

"Good, Mummy. Can we go get Percy's kitty now? Percy doesn't smile enough."

Mum choked back a sob, and nodded. Since this was a Saturday, Dad had the day off, and was carrying Ginny. Bill and Charlie were both at Hogwarts, and wouldn't come home for Christmas Break until the following Saturday evening, the 16th. Mum had frog-marched the Twins to the Lovegoods to be baby-sat not half an hour earlier.

Percy was eight now, and more than old enough to use the Floo by himself. He would have been happy to tell you that himself had you been there, too. Mum went through first carrying me, then Percy came through, and Dad brought up the rear with Ginny. We walked out of the Leaky Cauldron, and into Diagon Alley. We were off to the Magical Menagerie in search of an inexpensive Kneazle for Percy.

What Mum and Dad had kept from the rest of us Weasley kids, or at least the Twins, Ginny, and me; was that Percy had developed a phobia against rats. He also wasn't too comfortable around any other animals. The healers told Mum and Dad that they needed to get a companion animal such as a Kneazle or cat to help Percy get over his problems.

This Saturday ended up not being a good day for that, though. We walked into the store, and Percy froze in abject terror next to the large cage full of magical rats. Mum set me down on the floor next to the row of Kneazle and Crup cages. She told me not to move while she went to Percy's aid.

I herd a faint and desperate "mew" from under the rack of cages. I looked under the cages. There, I saw a very small grey kitten. His eyes were open, but he was only two weeks old at the most, and certainly shouldn't have been under the cages instead of with his mother. I said, "Hurt kitty under the cages," reached in, and gently scooped the kitten up.

As soon as I touched the kitten, I felt a jolt to my magic. Not really being a four-year-old, and being no stranger to a familiar bond forming, I gently scooped the kitten up and held him to my chest. He was cold when I picked him up. But he warmed back up before I even finished cuddling him to my chest. He also became livelier, though he was in no hurry to leave my hands even if he were able to.

The guy running the shop turned from one troublesome Weasley boy to the other. He said, "Young man, the kitten is dieing. His mother has rejected him now three times. He hasn't nursed well or at all in the last day. Please hand him to me so I can stop his suffering."

Even if I had really been four, I knew what the shopkeeper meant by that! I stood up and said "No! The kitty is only sick, he is NOT dieing. Percy can nurse the kitty…"

"I can't!" Percy sobbed in a whisper.

"Ok," I said. " _I_ can nurse the kitty back to health! I can be responsible too, right Daddy?"

Dad was not happy being cornered like that. He was much more concerned about having to spend money on a kitten that probably wouldn't last the day, much less the week. He was even more worried about having to console a heart-broken four-year-old when "the inevitable" happened.

He crouched down with Ginny still on his hip watching quietly. He spun me gently by the shoulder to face him.

He asked me, "Are you sure about this, Ronnie? The shopkeeper knows a lot more about kitties than you do. He just doesn't want your feelings hurt when the kitty dies."

"I know, Daddy. But the kitty won't die if we take care of him! Even if he does, he'll die knowing that someone loved him…" I started to sob, and real tears at that.

Even being over seventy, _you_ get stuffed in a four-year-old body. You'll start crying over _anything,_ _really_ _._ Imagining how this poor animal would have otherwise spent his last hours on earth was truly beyond sad. And, I could feel for certain that this helpless kitten understood exactly what we were all saying. At least he seemed to get the gist of it. The kitten uttered a low "mew" as if to say, "yeah!"

Dad looked me in the eye for a moment. He said, "If this is what you really want, you can try to nurse the kitten back to health. But he isn't a toy! He's a living creature, and will be totally dependant on you for weeks. Even after that, _you_ will need to put food and water down for him. You will also need to change his litter pan so he has a place to go to the bathroom when he can't go outside. Are you sure you can handle this?"

I nodded, and whispered back "Yes, Daddy." I looked down at the kitten and told him, "I'm just a human kitten myself. But I will help you get well and grow up to be big and strong, if you'll let me. Please?" The kitten gave another loud "mew" as his answer.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. He said, "Mr. Weasley, It's on your head, and I had nothing to do with it! I already cast the detection spell. Your son has a familiar bond with the kitten already, which I've never seen happen with human or animal so young."

He set four tiny baby bottles, a box of formula powder, and a small jar of strengthening solution on the counter.

He continued, "The kitten is on the house. So are the bottles, formula, and strengthening solution. Add one drop of the strengthening solution per bottle for the first week. If the kitten dies, bring back the dead kitten and whatever of the formula and stuff you didn't use. If the kitten lives, bring him back at three months and six months for his check-up visits and potions, which are also on the house. If the kitten makes six months, I'll give you his papers as well.

"Unlike most of my customers, you actually have your Kneazle License application in order. Better yet, the one and _only_ mistake you made helps us out. You forgot to put little Percival's name on the application, so putting little Ronald's name on will be easy. You were also smart enough to leave the reason blank as well…"

Dad said, "The healers wanted Percival to get a purebred Kneazle kitten to bond with. I didn't want to use that reason unless there was no other way…"

Dad tailed off, and Percy continued to shiver in abject misery in Mum's arms. He would not be selecting a pet this afternoon. He might not quite be up to selecting his own supper later on.

The shopkeeper spoke again. "No worries, Mr. Weasley. It doesn't look like young Percival would be able to choose well in any case. I would recommend a private breeder and a Kneazle-cat cross for him, anyway. Arabella Figg out in Little Whinging does both pure-Kneazle and Kneazle crosses, and all of her animals are particularly docile.

"I don't like the animals that pass through my shop dieing young. If young Ronald nurses that kitten back to health, he'll have earned the formula for that, at least in my book. Your new kitten is a purebred Korat Kneazle from a show-champion line. If he were in good health and at the regular age for sale, you could not have afforded him. If the familiar bond carries the kitten through, he is one lucky cat and your son is one lucky boy."

I looked up at the shopkeeper and quietly said, "Thank you, sir, and Daddy. I'll take good care of him." The kitten gave a strong "mew" in agreement. I looked down at the kitten and asked him, "How does 'Lucky Boy' sound for a name? That way, we'll both remember today." Lucky Boy mewed and purred in agreement. So, he was named, and mine. He was also still sick, too young otherwise to adopt out, and not suitable for travelling via the Floo. I asked, "Daddy, how are going to get Lucky Boy home?"

Dad answered, "I will side-along you home with Lucky Boy, and have you sit at the kitchen table. You _will_ sit there while I Apparate back here to get Ginny and Lucky Boy's formula. After I get Ginny back home, your Mum will Floo home with Percy." Flooing is normally easier than side-along Apparition, but with a sick Kneazle kitten is out of the question. So is leaving a four-year-old alone for the extra time needed to Floo with Ginny or leave mum with both Ginny and Percy, who was still on the verge of passing out from seeing all the magical rats.

Dad picked me up. He made sure I had a good hold of Lucky Boy. He held me to his chest, and one uncomfortable squeeze later, we were home. Dad sat me on my booster chair with my now _un-_ happy kitten and popped back out to get Ginny from Mum. I looked down at the kitten and told him "You aren't big enough yet to go through the Floo, Lucky Boy." He mewed back in understanding.

Dad was back in two shakes and a crack of Apparition. Mum decided to avoid Flooing with a still distraught eight-year-old. She and Percy came back just after Dad.

Percy had barely come around by the time supper was ready. Mum had Floo called Pandora, and she agreed to keep Fred and George overnight after Mum Floo'ed their pyjamas and clean underwear over. Percy looked at Lucky Boy shyly.

He asked me, "May I pet him, Ronnie?"

I looked at Lucky Boy. The Kneazle gave me a confused "mew."

I answered, "You may, Percy. But just a little. He's tired and hungry, and wants to bond further with me before he gets friendly with the rest of us. He's not well either since his Mummy quit feeding him."

Percy petted him gently a few times before he went upstairs to wash his hands for supper.

Mum handed me the first of what would be _many_ bottles of formula Lucky Boy would go through before he was big enough to get by on solid food alone. She also handed me an old flannel.

She said, "After you feed him, you'll have to gently rub his belly towards his tail to encourage him to 'go potty.' His mum would do that for him if he was still with her.

Mum ended up feeding _me,_ while I fed Lucky Boy. He put away a second bottle of formula before he and I went to bed that night.

Percy still wasn't quite himself the next morning. But, he was close enough to be getting on with. Mum retrieved the Twins from Pandora, and made _absolutely certain_ that they _knew_ not to mess with either the kitten or me. Fred and George were never truly mean or cruel, though they could be unrelenting enough in their practical humour to get the same results without meaning to. So, Mum took no chances. Neither did they once they realized how fragile the kitten was at first, come to that.

Lucky Boy was now a member of the family. Percy would go another seven years before he got a companion animal of his own. That would be a post owl, and he would be more interested in the content of the return letters than the company of the owl itself, though he was kind and attentive to it.

§§§

So, Percy's "early Christmas kitten" became _my_ "early Christmas kitten." I gently carried him everywhere for the first six weeks. This was just as much necessity as it was loving to carry him, since it was _my_ magic that was helping him get well and grow. After that, he stayed by my side almost like a shadow until he was six months old. Even after that, he was always good company. He was also very smart. He learned how to use the loo without making a mess instead of a litter pan from watching us use it. He also knew what "fixed" meant.

Mum, not knowing better, suggested we get Lucky Boy fixed before he started marking his territory throughout the house. I _did_ know better, and didn't want my familiar's family jewels removed, thus possibly threatening the usability of _my_ family jewels once I hit puberty _again._

"But won't that hurt _me,_ since he's my familiar and not a pet?" I asked.

Mum paled, and answered, "I forgot about that. Just make sure that he doesn't pee all over inside the house."

I replied, "I'm sure Lucky Boy will behave, Mummy. He's also scared, and I don't think we'll see him for the rest of the day."

Sure enough, we didn't, though I could feel him looking at me from on top of the china hutch beneath a self-cast disillusionment charm. He stayed hidden on top of the china hutch until well after Mum and Dad went to sleep that night. He woke me up at half midnight by meowing directly in my ear and slapping my face repeatedly with his tail.

I quietly reassured him that no magical animal healer would do that to him, and we couldn't take him to a Muggle one at all. He forgave me, particularly since it wasn't my idea in the first place. But, I still had to give him half a kipper along with the rest of his late supper after I carried him down to the kitchen to feed him to get back in his good graces. He also refused to be in the same room alone with Mum for almost a month.

That Kneazle was so smart that every Weasley except me cast the Animagus revealing charm on him at _least_ once. But, he was just a very smart, very magical Kneazle. We were all just slightly paranoid as well. Magical rats and ordinary ones don't really look different from each other. "Scabbers'" long life just didn't register with any of us. There _are_ wild magical rats, after all. Pettigrew behaved _exactly_ like one would have done, under the circumstances.

§§§

The other "present" I got for Christmas was actually one of Ginny's gifts. She got her first "Harry Potter" book. And, it _was_ Harry Potter, not Harriet. The Boy Who Lived was actually a boy! Sadly though, as well I knew, there were no castles, servants, or adventures in Harry's life beyond surviving the decidedly un-posh life he led in western Surrey.

Of course, I thought about him living with his Aunt and Uncle. While they didn't _torture_ him, they _did abuse him._ His bedroom was a boot cupboard infested with spiders, he was deliberately dressed in clothes that didn't fit, and while not outright starved, was never allowed to eat his fill, all while helping cook the food his relatives ate, and all this while the relatives could well afford to treat Harry decently.

Vernon and Petunia Dursley also _rewarded_ Dudley for bullying Harry and keeping him from making any friends at primary school. So long as no incriminating marks were visible while Harry was dressed in Dudley's cast off clothing that Harry was obliged to wear, it was more or less "open season." The school never quite realized what was going on with Harry and his relatives, though Merlin only knows why.

The Dursleys _did_ lead the school into thinking that Harry's parents were not exactly "high-class," which might explain some of it. And, Harry _knew_ better than to complain. He got at least one square meal per day between September and June, and was usually in a different class from Dudley. While the few teachers that _cared_ had an inkling that Harry could do much better than his homework and test scores suggested, Harry was also clever enough to hide just how poor his eyesight was even while wearing glasses, which the school assumed came from an optometrist instead of the charity bin at the local church.

The Dursleys begrudged every cent Harry's presence cost them, and made sure he was aware of this. They also made out quite well financially. While they let Harry know in no uncertain terms how "expensive" he was for them, they also applied for, and _got_ every last pence the Muggle Government had on offer for fostering a child. The Muggles were actually _paying_ a well-off corporate Managing Director the princely sum of £20,800 per year to sustain yet abuse their nephew.

The worst parts about that were that provided you could keep Harry safe from his idiot relatives, the blood wards their and his presence together powered actually _were_ keeping him safe from the Death Eaters and Death Eater sympathizers. In my first lifetime, Harry and I later learned that there were at least three _known_ attacks against number 4 Privet Drive _before_ Harry started Hogwarts. The wards fended off every attack without any of the occupants being any the wiser.

I could also think of _nothing_ to make his situation any better until we both started Hogwarts in the fall of 1991. The Dursleys were convinced that they could "stamp the magic" out of Harry, and were trying their best to do just that. If I tried to send anything material via the Muggle Post, the Dursleys would either destroy it, or given to their "ickle Diddums." Trying to insert myself directly into Harry's life would have ended poorly at best. So, I could do nothing for Harry directly.

But what I could do in the mean time was the same thing I did during the second go-around. I could train, train, study, and train some more. Between wandless magic, physical fitness, getting even better at studying and schoolwork, and so on; I could actually be the friend I should have been the first time around, and the friend I wasn't allowed to be the second.

I would also save Luna Lovegood's mum again. It would be the right thing to do. Provided Pandora Lovegood didn't go _too far_ with the gifts afterwards, and with Mum actually loving me this time around, things should work out fine. So I hoped, anyway. Besides, other than my siblings, Luna was the only magical child around close to my (physical) age. Without the desperate edge from bullying and bereavement she had in my first lifetime, she was genuinely fun to be around.

So, as time meandered (again for me) through the late summer and early fall of 1985, I trained, studied, and trained some more. I played with my siblings, familiar, and our near-neighbour Luna. I enjoyed life and childhood, but this enjoyment was tempered by the fact that I couldn't share that enjoyment with the one whom I most desired to share it with, and who needed that enjoyment far more dearly than I.

So long as I didn't waste any though, time _was_ on my side. Providing I hadn't landed in some truly messed up timeline where Pandora Lovegood would die much sooner, I had four entire years, plus several months of "tailings" of 1985 and 1990 in which to get ready, not just to save Pandora, but to lower the finial bill for Harry finally "putting paid" to Tom Marvolo Riddle.


	2. Chapter 2, Parabellum Fundamenta

**Last edit 22 May 2018.**

 **Chapter 2, "Parabellum, Fundamenta" where Ron lays the foundations…**

Once I had half a handle on reading again, which was actually _before_ I got Lucky Boy, I started reading almost everything I could get my hands on. Now, no one will ever mix me up with Hermione, and I still found many things I enjoyed far more than reading books. But, especially in these younger years where "neuroplasticity" (see Hermione, I _can_ use the big words, too!) was in full-bloom, these were not months and years to be wasted.

I did read the occasional fiction book so that I had some background cultural exposure, but I concentrated mostly on non-fiction books, both magical and Muggle. I paid particular attention to the Muggle textbooks at the local lending library in Ottery St. Mary.

But that is getting a little bit ahead of myself. I started with the textbooks we actually had at home. I worked through those first. I also had to set up for my first "major" Christmas or birthday gift.

While walking certainly works, and magical forms of transport do as well, they just don't work all that well for an enterprising young magical boy who wants to interact more with the Muggle world. For that, you need Muggle methods. And for a young boy of five who lives in the country, the most appropriate form of transportation is the bicycle.

So, once Lucky Boy was a little more independent, I let Mum and Dad know that I wanted a Muggle bicycle for my Christmas present in 1995. Dad held his peace, Mum wasn't particularly amused, and all the older brothers took the Mickey when they could. They _were_ rather cautious though when my temper started looking frayed.

Even with all the wandless magic I was throwing around without notice, and even with Lucky Boy absorbing my magic while he grew for his first six months, I was still a child, and still had bouts of genuine accidental magic. Some bouts were cute, and some were rather frightening, but _all_ of them were _powerful._

The one that most quickly comes to mind is when Fred and George transfigured my stuffed bear into a large spider this time around. Even expecting it, I was frightened. But _this_ time, I subconsciously took control of the damn thing and it had _both_ Twins treed and screaming before Mum came out and cancelled the Transfiguration.

Dad finally intervened in October. He brought me out to his work shed. He didn't have the Anglia yet, but he _did_ have a huge shed full of Muggle "stuff." His shed was _off limits,_ unless _he_ brought one of us in. While he did bring us boys out there to punish us on the rare occasions when Mum thought she was being too thoroughly ignored, he would also bring us out there occasionally as a "treat," though only Ginny was truly fascinated with the stuff in my previous timelines.

But this time, I was _also_ interested, and not just for the bike. Anyway, it was the first Saturday in October, and Dad took me out to the shed.

"So, Ronnie, you keep saying you want a Muggle bicycle. Why?"

"To ride it, Daddy" I answered. I wasn't being 'cheeky,' and he understood that I was being honest.

"Where do you want to ride it?"

"Around the area, Daddy. I want to make some 'extra' money, and I can't do that here at home. I also want to go to the Muggle library, but with all of us kids, Mum can't just drop what she's doing to take me there. And walking takes so much more time."

"You've walked to the _library_?"

"Yes, Daddy. Two months ago, I asked Mummy if I could go find a book and read it for a while, and she said I could. So, I walked to the library in town, found a nice book on how to improve my grammar, and read it for a while. But I spent much more time walking than reading."

Dad shook his head in bemusement, with just a hint of frustration. He took a slightly different tack. "Ronnie, don't you already have enough 'pocket money' for when you go with your Mum to the Alley or Hogsmeade?"

"Mummy and you are generous with all of us kids, Daddy. But I want _extra,_ or at least _almost extra_ money, not to make you work harder or make Ginny and my brothers jealous or mad at me.

"Right now, Mummy and Percy take care of the chickens. The chickens lay eggs for us to eat. I could help make the chicken coop larger and help take care of more chickens. More chickens would make more eggs.

"But I can't sell the eggs here at home, Daddy. With a bicycle, I could find a Muggle Marysider or a Squib Catchpoler who _could_ sell the eggs; maybe even the Muggle store in town. After Mummy or you make sure they aren't going to cheat me, I could then take my bicycle every morning to deliver the eggs for sale. The people selling the eggs would want to make money too. So I would have to make sure the eggs cost _us_ less than we sold them for. Since the people selling them for us could only charge so much and still get people to buy them, I'd have to be sure to keep our cost down. _That_ is ' _almost extra´_ money, Daddy. We would be getting more eggs than we make now just for us to eat. Mummy and you would keep some of the money I made, since they _are_ your chickens, coop, and feed. But it's money we _don't_ have right now, and it would not make you work harder at the Ministry to get it.

"Really extra money won't come until I'm a little bigger. After I can prove to Mummy and you that I am responsible without you having to watch me that closely, and after I'm actually physically big enough to do it, I can mow lawns.

"When I'm big enough to do it, I can take a Muggle reel lawn mower and cut lawns in town for money. I might need Mummy and you to charm the blades to keep them extra sharp, but the Muggles would never notice that. That money would be _completely_ extra for us, since other than the charms, I would take care of the mower too, as well as do the work. Since it wouldn't use petrol, it would just be Muggle grease, and 'elbow grease' to keep the mower in good shape so that Mummy and you wouldn't have to pump it full of magic.

"And since it's _extra_ money that I _worked_ for, none of my brothers can complain to Mummy and you that I have it and they don't. They can either _work_ or not, whatever they want."

Dad had already mostly made up his mind before bringing me out to the shed, anyway. But, to be fair, he wanted to hear me out first, which he did. Of course, since I wanted a _Muggle_ bicycle, I had that going for me. After making me sweat it out for a minute, he spoke.

"First, _no more sneaking off to town._ You are only five, and you could get hurt without Mummy or me knowing."

"Yes, Daddy, I won't 'sneak off' like that. But don't get mad at Mummy. She had Billy follow behind me so I wouldn't get in trouble. See, Mummy's _smart_ like you are, Daddy, and she remembers all of us kids from before we could talk, and she had to figure out what we needed by looking at our faces. She knew I _wanted_ to sneak off to the library in town, but she really didn't think I'd make it, since I'm little.

"So she had Billy 'play Auror,' and follow me where I couldn't sense him. That way, 'when' I got too tired, Billy could carry me home and she could scold me. Billy _did_ follow far enough back, but I knew he was there anyway, 'cause I could _feel_ him. I didn't try to 'lose' him, because if I _did_ have trouble, I really _wanted_ Billy to help me. Mum and Billy were so surprised that I actually made it to the library, read without causing trouble, and made it home again in time for supper that they forgot to say anything to me."

"Just the same, Ronnie, no more sneaking off. If you ask to go somewhere, _say_ where you are asking to go."

"Yes, Daddy." I was five, in body at least, and this was _not_ a battle I was looking to fight here and now, anyway.

"Second, Ronnie, your bike is already here in the shed." I looked around at all of the Muggle stuff. At first, I didn't 'get it.' But looking more carefully, I could see a frame 'here,' a seat 'over there,' and so on. That was fine with me. I hadn't asked for a _new_ bicycle, after all. If Dad was willing to help me put one together from the stuff in the shed, that would be an even better present anyway.

"Okay, Daddy. Are you going to show me how to put it together, or do you have a book on doing it? I can see some of the pieces. But I don't see all of them, even if they are in here, somewhere."

Dad's face brightened just a bit. "Just so, Ronnie. I have a book or two laying around, and I know a thing or two about Muggle things. I'm also going to tell you a _secret,_ just between you and me. Well, _Mummy_ knows just like you said, but Ginny and your brothers don't, and you won't be telling them, right?"

"Right, Daddy!" I answered enthusiastically. What can I say? This was _Dad_ talking, here. If he was making time to share something, even if it was otherwise garbage, this was time with _Dad,_ who never seemed to have enough time, though he managed his time quite well, thank you very much, and didn't waste it.

"I know much more about Muggle stuff than I let on to most people, Ronnie. You want to be a Field Auror when you grow up, right?"

"Right, Daddy!"

"Just so. Running my office, I have to know a _lot_ about Muggle stuff to do my job right. _But,_ some people higher up in the Ministry don't _like_ Muggle stuff. Others who want to do _bad things_ with Muggle stuff would be harder to catch if they thought that I, the guy that is supposed to catch them, actually understood the Muggle stuff enough to know when they were doing bad things with it.

"So, even though I _don't_ know as much about Muggle stuff as some Muggles, I pretend to know less than some wizards. I say the names of the stuff wrong; I act like I don't understand how some thing work when I really do, and the like."

I stood there quietly, thinking that over. This might _be_ new. But, I honestly couldn't say. Both of my previous times growing up, Dad's fascination with "Muggle stuff" just faded into the background. And Dad, if you actually paid attention, _did_ keep his own counsel on more than a few things.

But, he had to know more than a little "something" to do all the things he _did_ do. He got the Anglia both times when I was eight. Both times, he had a Squib tow truck driver deliver it. It didn't "run" for the first six months he had it. But after that, it _did_ run, and quite well, too. And, I know for a _fact_ that he hadn't the money to hire anything out.

When "first Harry" and I were twenty-seven, we decided to get Dad another Anglia as an "extra" birthday present. After all, it was the two of us (though mostly me) that trashed out his first one. Though I was already much handier with a wrench than Harry, who had actually grown up with the stuff was, neither one of us had the time to work on the stuff even if we _did_ have the talent, which we didn't. So, while Harry and I handled the spell work once everything else was done, the "Muggle" side of getting a 1966 Ford Anglia Deluxe 105E two-door saloon "cherried-out" had to be hired-out and paid for.

The Anglia Harry and I bought was in _much_ better shape than Dad's, and actually ran rather nicely when we bought it. And, we _did_ pull out all the stops to have the car restored to "like-new" in every way before the first spell was cast. Harry and I _still_ dumped over _seventeen thousand pounds_ each into that damned car between buying it and finishing it up, before we cast the first spell! I had scrimped and saved for about three years to have my share, and had _thought_ that I had gone overboard. But I barely covered my share without Hermione noticing.

Back to "here and now, though." I answered, "That makes sense, Daddy. Are we starting on my bicycle today?"

"Sure, Ronnie. Can you pick out the frame?

Dad and I picked the frame out, and we built the bicycle together over the next several weekends. This was also me re-learning one of my less well-known skills and "tricks" as a Field Auror and later a Battle Mage.

In both previous lifetimes, I almost _always_ had a good inexpensive bicycle shrunken down and carried on my person. Since this _is_ the UK, there are plenty of areas where if you are in decent physical condition, that a bicycle is "perfect" transport.

So, the criminals expect you to Apparate in within a block or two? Not tonight, you lot. _I'll_ pop in a little bit further out, where you _don't_ expect me, and just pedal in the rest of the way under a Disillusionment spell.

And if a chav makes off with my "ride" while I'm collaring you? No problem there, either. The Summoning runes on the inside of the frame will bring it right back, before they even figure out how to strip it down for parts! What are _they_ going to do about it? File a police report that a stolen bicycle was stolen from them?

§§§

So, 1985 ended up being a fairly productive year, and 1986 was as well. I had already set up my "first" confidence course in the early spring of 1985, so my actual Field Auror training was coming along nicely.

My bicycle was followed up immediately by the push-mower. While I wasn't _quite_ big enough or strong enough yet to work with it, Dad had said he would also put "booster charms" into it along with an "eversharp" charm on the blades. We'd even rigged a towing bracket for the mower so I could tow it with my bike to get from job to job.

The egg business turned out nicely as well. While it was a bit of a "bother" to take over the "chore" of taking care of the chickens completely, I also got lucky, and Dad and I were able to set things up with the Muggle grocer in town to sell all the eggs we could sell him. Since Mum had _already_ set things up to borrow a rooster as needed to hatch our own chicks for laying, and she also learned the charm to make rooster chicks into capons for the table, expanding the coop and increasing the number of chickens laying wasn't that big of a deal.

Dad and I had "saddle" baskets on the bike for the eggs with cushioning charms set on them for the eggs. The baskets also doubled for newspaper baskets when I got a morning paper route when I was seven.

I was able to sell the eggs to the grocer for fifty-five pence per dozen, with the grocer supplying the packaging. Mum and Dad in turn kept five pence per dozen to help offset the additional feed, with my taking care of the chickens "earning" the difference. I got my chicks for free. I got to sell most of the capons to the grocer and keep all the money from that. Mum and Dad, in turn, claimed the occasional capon and all the "retired" hens for the table.

Fred and George pitched a fit, of course, that "little Ronnie" had pocket money coming in that they _didn't._ This lasted until Mum actually _made_ them live a day like "little Ronnie" did, starting with running my confidence course, taking care of the chickens, washing and packing the eggs for sale, attempting to _walk_ the eggs to market (like hell was I letting them borrow my bike when they didn't even know how to ride one.) They didn't quite make eight o'clock in the morning until they gave it up as a bad job. Mum ended up Apparating the eggs to the store, and I carried on with my life.

§§§

Home schooling isn't what it's cracked up to be. Of course, it wasn't as bad for me, since I had already learned some of the stuff before, and was motivated to learn it better this time around. But still, it was a fair amount of work, especially since I was trying to get as much stuff done as I could in as small a period of time as possible.

Most of the books Mum had for us kids were actually _good._ Once I had my "extra" money coming in, I was able to get additional books in the Muggle sciences and "social studies" to round out what we hadn't done the first two times around, though only Ginny showed any interest in the Muggle science and "social studies" books when I had worked through them.

But Mum had _insisted_ that we use the same maths book that _she_ had learned from, and that book was the maths equivalent of " _Defensive Magical Theory"_ by Wilbert Slinkhard. And in defence of "Slinkhard," he was a marked Death Eater toady who wrote the text on commission for Delores Umbridge. Slinkhard would not be writing his crap _this_ time, at least not with Umbridge's signature on the cheque. But Mum's maths book had actually been written for use by people who tried to actually _use_ it.

Things finally came to a head on a hot Wednesday in late May of 1986. While I normally did my "class work" either in mid morning or mid evening, Mum decided to make me work on my maths right after lunch, in the hottest part of the day.

Despite having learned maths (more or less, I hadn't been _that_ good,) I was getting frustrated. The book was as clear as mud, and the exercises (or rather, the _incorrect_ solutions to those exercises,) made no sense at all. Mum tried to explain it, but since _she_ had learned maths incorrectly from the book, wasn't making any progress either. Finally, in total frustration, I accidentally banished the book without wand or incantation, or even realizing that I had done so.

I was looking at Mum, who was trying to explain that 2048 divided by 64 equaled 36 with a remainder of nine, and how to write this out in long division, when I saw her eyes grow wide. I looked at where the book no longer was, and could only say, "At least the book is _clear_ now, even if it's still wrong. Can we get a different one after you make the old one come back, Mummy?"

Things actually turned out much better than they could have. Mum decided to 'play it off,' since it actually _was_ accidental magic. She bought a _different_ book, and not a replacement copy of the garbage we _had_ been using later on in the week. I got to go swimming, which I had wanted to do instead _anyhow._ _Mum didn't try teaching me schoolwork in the heat of the day after that, and Ginny actually got to learn maths from a maths book that actually "added up."_

§§§

When I worked, I worked as hard and as effectively as I could. Earning Muggle money allowed me to buy more and better Muggle textbooks to study from than we already had. My ultimate plan was to pass my Muggle "GCSEs" before entering Hogwarts.

This would be tough, since with being "home-schooled," I would receive the "tougher" versions of the tests, and have NO Primary and Secondary school grades to "round-out" my test scores. But, I was smart enough to keep up with Hermione in my first life, and didn't slack off in my second one. So, tough as it might be, I _could_ do this!

I also needed to read regional and world history and culture books to cover for "quirks" I had picked up over my two previous lifetimes, namely a fondness for Japanese Cuisine and alcohol. During my first lifetime, Harry and I had worked a series of stakeouts in one of the Japanese neighbourhoods of London. We both developed a fondness for sushi, sashimi, and sake, because our target was almost directly across the street from a small sushi restaurant. In order to "blend in," as well as keep in the good graces of the people running the restaurant, we ate what they had on offer.

It turned out that there were very few Japanese dishes that I couldn't cook and enjoy, providing I was able to get the ingredients. Hugo and Rosie also liked Japanese food. Hermione was indifferent to it on her better days, so I didn't cook that way _every_ day. But, the one breakfast where the kids and I enjoyed miso soup, rice, grilled salmon, tsukemono, nori, and natto was the breakfast that finally convinced Hermione to learn how to cook.

Hugo and Rosie had also gotten very interested in manga after a vacation we took in France when they were nine and seven. They got into the various series hard enough that they basically taught themselves the language with the aid of computer programs, and some tutoring.

Unlike the kids, I never learned the language in my first lifetime. I did pick up some when I competed in the Asian magical duelling circuit during my second lifetime, but never got fluent. I did learn enough about the culture that I could have been the houseguest of a Japanese family without causing offence, provided their English was better than my Japanese.

Fortunately, the library in the Ottery was very good, and I was able to check out Japanese recipe cookbooks just as easily as the English ones. Even better, there was a sushi stand across from the bookstore in Exeter where we bought the Muggle textbooks that I actually needed to have and that we couldn't find used. Mum was _very_ reluctant to let me go in the first time, even with it being _my_ money that would be spent. She didn't want me "wasting" my money on food she didn't think I would eat. After seeing me clear a "sushi sampler" that was large enough to be a meal in its own right, she didn't argue again, other than reminding me not to blow my money.

§§§

I got up every morning at around five o'clock to take care of the chickens, collect the eggs, wash and pack the ones for sale, and pedal them into town to the grocer's. I also had things set up once I started my paper route that I would also pick up the newspapers at the grocer's as well. I made sure that I had the papers delivered no later than six forty-five, so I could be home by seven to eat breakfast with Dad.

Starting in the spring of 1987, I managed to talk both Mum and Dad, and Garrick Ollivander himself, into allowing me to work in Ollivander's wand shop as a junior apprentice. He paid me well enough though not that much. He provided the occasional snack, and allowed me to use his Floo to return home. I worked for him from 7:30 in the morning until 12:30 in the afternoon.

From there, I would return home and eat lunch. As soon as I had eaten, if I had a lawn or two that day (in the summer,) I would hitch the mower up to the bike and be off again. After mowing, I returned home, and finished my "workout" with two laps of my confidence course along with push-ups, pull-ups, and "crunches."

After supper is when I would sit down and "crack the books." I would work on maths on Mondays, English on Tuesdays, Science on Wednesdays, and Muggle "Social Studies" (History, Geography, Cultures, and Politics) on Thursdays. Fridays would be studying GCSE study guides in the various subjects, along with the "odd-duck" GCSE subjects like "art," and "musical appreciation." When I was eight, I would take up the guitar again. I would round that into my "music" GCSE should I need and decide to take that one.

I devoted Saturdays and Sundays more to playing with Luna and Ginny. In order to be able to save Pandora Lovegood, I had to _be there._ I also needed time off to actually _be_ the kid my body kept reminding me that I was. And, even with the "boys and girls" divide of childhood, Luna and Ginny were fun kids to play with. They could swim, run around, and "roughhouse" as well as a boy could, they saved the dolls and stuff for when I was at work, and if they had a "pretend" tea party with their stuffed toy animals, they served me real tea and biscuits. They also thought it was cool when I made the occasional animal come to life and dance for them.

The real payoff in apprenticing for Master Garrick was that after the first week he actually had me help in the shop beyond cleaning. I was learning the trade of wand-crafting, and all this at the age of "just seven." Since he was related to Pandora Lovegood, and thus Luna, he would occasionally give me the morning off during the summer weeks so I could play with Luna during the mornings, and then write him an assignment about wand lore, wand crafting, or wand rehabilitation to turn in the following week. While Ollivander's never _sold_ used wands, he _did_ recondition wands for customers, which brought in a fair number of galleons in its own right.

Master Garrick was also the first person to realize that I had time-travelled. I had worked for and learned from him for only a week before he asked me about it. Typical for him, he asked directly.

"Ron Weasley, why did you travel back in time?" he asked.

By then, I knew that he saw far more than he let on. I also knew that he was _very good_ at keeping his own counsel. Lying was obviously out of the question. Master Garrick hated being lied to. He could easily tell if he was being lied to. He would also explain said lies to Mum and Dad when he told them I was no longer welcome.

Knowing Master Garrick though, telling the truth was not nearly as unpleasant an option as it could have been. I had also learned in my second go-round, that I would need to trust _someone_ who actually understood this timeline, or dimension, or whatever it was.

"Master Garrick, I was cast back into time, or possibly into a different dimension against my will.

"This is actually 'life number three,' in either a second, or possibly a third dimension when compared to when and where I originally was born.

"My first time living lasted for fifty-six years, before I accidentally got caught in a time vortex and was moved to dimension number two, to the point of my conception in that world.

"That time lasted for just over twenty-five years when a deranged person deliberately cast me into another time vortex, which sent me back to my point of conception in this world.

"Fair enough, Ron. Why are you interested in my niece?"

"Luna, or Pandora?"

"Both, Ron."

"Luna and Pandora Lovegood are both wonderful people. Pandora makes time for her child's friends, and Luna is a good friend and fun person. In my first lifetime, I barely knew Luna, even though she and Ginny were close friends. In that timeline, Pandora had an accident while spell crafting, when Luna was nine. Pandora died before Luna's very eyes. The daughter couldn't save the Mother, and the Mother couldn't comfort her daughter. Luna never really recovered from that.

"In my second timeline, I managed to save Pandora's life. While that created complications of its own, I would have rather dealt with even harsher 'complications' to see Luna smiling and whole, with her living Mother at her side."

"Will Pandora be most at risk in the morning, or in the afternoon?"

"Life is often a crapshoot, to borrow a pair of Muggle phrases, and dice have no memory. But if this timeline is like the other two, I would suspect the morning. If you have any capacity to _see_ clearly, I would defer to your judgment."

"Why do you work your other jobs? What use do you have for money at your age?"

"I have several reasons. First, in my first life especially, I had the unpleasant tendency to occasionally get envious of money and possessions other people had, not realizing the wealth of familial love that I possessed. This was not as much a problem in my second life, but I still have the need of money.

"That need is to provide for my education prior to entering Hogwarts in the fall of 1991. I need to learn about this world, both magical and Muggle. Working the Muggle jobs gives me some greater insight and exposure to the Muggle world. It also allows me to buy better textbooks for learning in general, both magical and Muggle.

"I intend to pass my Muggle "GCSEs" before entering Hogwarts. This learning will serve me well later in life. Earning Muggle money makes it easier for me to buy Muggle books."

"Why do you work so hard? You show proper reverence for the trade and craft you learn from me, and your work had been amazingly good for any age. Yet, you also make no secret of the fact that you intend to become a Field Auror and later a Battle Mage, and not a wand crafter. Why do you insist on learning a trade you will never use?"

"Master Garrick, my 'destiny' is to be the Mirror, Sword, and Shield of another. That person has a destiny as well – one where he _must_ prevail in order to allow our freedom and way of life, as we know it, to continue. My failing that person is an option I _must not_ allow to come to pass.

"In my first lifetime, in the time when my efforts were most desperately needed, I succeeded far more by extraordinary luck rather than proper skill or effort. In my second lifetime, I also prevailed, but the person who cast me into this world hampered my ability to do so. That person was 'fallen,' but not evil.

"This lifetime, if not my original dimension, is close enough that my skills and efforts may well be employed for their best and greatest effect. I hope, and _work,_ so that I may not only assure victory for the person I'm destined to help, but that I may also obtain as deep a discount as possible on the final butcher's bill for that victory.

"As for learning the art of wand-crafting, it is more useful than many would think. In the Muggle world, the Muggle equivalents of Field Aurors and Battle Mages have a better grasp of how their firearms work than many, though few could craft a firearm, and almost none take a firearm and convert it from idea to a usable weapon.

"Understanding how and why wands choose their wizards, why some wands behave as they do, and how to extend the life of a wand as long as possible are all important. Knowing the opposite can also come in handy. Can you convince the wand of your adversary to _un-choose_ them in mid-battle, while preventing them from doing the same to you? Learning the Craft may not help me find all of the answers directly. But it will give me a greater chance of at least finding more of the _questions._

"Since my family doesn't have a lot of money, I have a fairly high chance of starting my magical education with an _heirloom_ wand. How do I persuade that wand to choose me completely? How do I bring it back to its best possible condition, seeing that if I had the sums of money to hire the job out, I'd be close enough to buying a new wand in the first place? Should I become competent in evaluating and reconditioning wands, I will personally profit by my labours here for that alone."

Master Garrick asked, "I suppose at some point, you are going to try to get an Auror Wand Holster from me. You know these are restricted items, and not generally available to civilians, right?"

"I do, Master Garrick."

"I will ask a question. Suppose I either give you one, two, or three Auror Holsters. How many would you take? Where would they go to? Why? You can not resell any, nor can you trade them for anything beyond a token favour."

I didn't have to think at all to answer that. "Master Garrick, my answer will sound greedy at first, but if it proves to truly be greedy, I would wish for that to be shown. I would accept three holsters.

"The first two I would keep for myself. In both the later part of my first lifetime, and most of my second lifetime, I was proficient if not expert in the dual-wielding and casting of wands, as well as casting wanded and wordlessly at the same time. In this lifetime, I only lack the wands and practice to become such again.

"The third holster would be for the person I am destined to help. That person, so far as I am aware, never learned the skill of dual-wielding, and while they did carry two wands in their first lifetime, that time was well beyond the time of great peril, and by that time, they could easily acquire a second holster.

"There is another person who would also require a holster. However, I will be proficient with dual-wielding far more quickly than they will be ready for battle. Thus, I would still be obliged to find them a good holster, whether Auror grade or not."

Master Garrick thought for a moment, and asked, "Name your King."

"Master Garrick, I don't understand."

"Ron, in my experience, only Kings need a Mirror, Sword, and Shield. I ask again, who is your King?"

Ok, so what if he is. "Harry Potter."

"Did your King send you back here?"

"No in both cases."

"What do you know of Harry Potter?"

"I believe I know where he lives, though I must not say. If this dimension is different, I'll look a fool. If I'm right, speaking of this location could potentially hazard him. Though I trust you completely, you either know yourself or don't, and both for better reason than I'll gainsay with what little I know.

"I hope I have proven my trust in you in admitting that I _might_ know in this time and place and _absolutely_ knew in the others. In my first time, I was actually in the place where he lives three times.

"If my knowledge holds true, I also know that his circumstances, while safe from magical hazard, are not even remotely pleasant, and that I am also powerless in changing them. Thus, I work as I do, and try to learn as much as I can, so that I may render the greatest aid once I am able to render aid in the first place.

"If my day leaves me weary, it is no matter. His days leave _him_ weary as well, with far less respite or comfort than I enjoy. I cannot aid him now, as much as I wish it were not so. So, I work to be ready come the day I can actually help him."

"Who is the third person, Ron?"

"Neville Longbottom. If my first lifetime holds true, Neville Longbottom will become a courageous and powerful wizard. However, though for different reasons than with Harry, I cannot help him right now. Were I to send him an owl, he would likely not receive it, and even if he did, he would likely ignore it if not become frightened by it. But my learning your noble Craft, to the extent that I can, will actually help him far sooner than it will Harry."

"What magical learning _would_ allow you to help Harry Potter most easily?"

I thought, and as I framed my answer, I hoped that I didn't end up in the dimension where Garrick Ollivander was Voldemort's 'right-hand man.'

"The greatest need Harry will have will be for a friend to help him overcome the trauma he should not have suffered between Halloween of 1981 and when he enters Hogwarts in the fall of 1991. But as far as academic knowledge?

"As you know, Mum and Dad are home-schooling me. In a year or two, Mum will have me writing assignments similar in form to what the Hogwarts Professors will expect turned in for homework assignments. If I can, I want to write these papers on the Grindelwald and Voldemort wars. By knowing, as well as can be known the circumstances and happenings of those wars, Harry and I can hopefully make the best decisions possible, along with the best preparations possible, to win victory at the lowest cost."

"You say He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's name?"

"I do, though I won't say it in front of the customers. Voldemort _is_ gone, _for now._ No one is maintaining a Taboo on that name, and can't gather together to do anything about it yet were they still maintaining one."

"You believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is not dead."

"I do. He did not die in either of my past lifetimes. If there is any reason that he should have died in this one, I'm not aware of it."

"Surely, having your own killing curse reflected back to you would kill anyone?"

"One would think so, Master Garrick. But I fought in multiple battles in both of my previous lifetimes that proved otherwise."

"Why would learning about the Grindelwald War help you understand the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"Some of the same people were involved in both wars, Albus Dumbledore in particular. Voldemort himself grew up in the later part of the Grindelwald War, and that, along with the Muggle Second World War both shaped his personality."

"How would I aid you in those studies?"

"If you could recommend those books and sources that would hold the most truth and least chaff, while still being available to a young boy, that would help. Of equal importance would by your good agency in helping persuade my Mum and Dad to draw copies of these books from the library, or to allow me to purchase those books. Both wars were particularly violent, and they are not normally common 'light reading' for one of my apparently 'tender' years."

"What do you think is the _most_ important thing you need to do before starting Hogwarts?"

"Saving the life of Pandora Lovegood, without any doubt. In August of 1991, Grindelwald will still be imprisoned at Nurmengard. Voldemort will still be a wraith. Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom will still be out of my scope of ability to help, no matter what I do or fail to do.

"However, the fate of Pandora Lovegood _is_ in my hands, Her life _will_ be hazarded by some misadventure in her home spell-crafting lab sometime in 1990 Luna was not able to render aid in either of my past lifetimes, though in my second lifetime, _I was._ But by whomever's hand her life is preserved intact and in good health, _that_ is the most important thing that _I_ can influence between now and then.

"In _this_ lifetime, after her own daughter and husband, _I_ will be the most affected by Pandora Lovegood's demise – because I _knew_ what would happen, though not the certainty of the hour, and failed to prevent it."

"How certain are you of the day of Pandora's difficulty," he asked.

"Short of being a _seer_ of some form, I have only my past experience. Going by that, it will not happen before 1990. The time will be in the morning, but after the hour many people have their breakfast; she will be alive or dead before the noon hour."

"Should your lawn mowing suffer in 1990?" he enquired.

"Even the people who _must_ place a price tag on a human life would not set it so low. I would sooner _eat_ my mower than see Pandora Lovegood come to harm."

"Pandora Lovegood is not a destitute woman by any means..."

"Pandora Lovegood's money belongs to Pandora Lovegood. I owe Pandora and Luna Lovegood a great debt – the delivery of Pandora Lovegood alive and sound until no earlier than September the First of 1991. I owe this debt because it is in my power to make good on it. Should I succeed in doing so, they owe me nothing, and I will have repaid my debt.

"Should she insist on giving me gifts for whatever reason afterward, I will accept them to the degree that courtesy requires, but will not seek or demand them. As for Luna, I have never been more than a friend to her. I would continue to be her friend in this lifetime should she have me; she is a nice person.

"In my first lifetime, I didn't know Pandora was in any danger until after she was dead, and with my circumstances as they were, I never really knew Pandora herself that well. In both my second lifetime and this one, I know both Luna and Pandora much better.

"In my second lifetime, by the time romantic attachment was seemly, I had been long since attached to someone else. In this lifetime, should Luna and I develop those feelings for each other, it will be because we both develop those feeling, not because I will expect anything from the continued life of Pandora Lovegood beyond her to continue as a good parent and spouse, as she would anyway."

"You have given me much to think about in your answers, Apprentice Ronald Bilius Weasley, and this reflects well on you. We will now start in earnest in your learning the Craft of the wand-crafter."

As we started working, I thought to myself, "Oh, kay… I guess I passed the post-hire job interview?"

True to his word, Master Garrick taught me as a true apprentice from that moment on. He taught me about the selection of woods based on their magical properties. He taught me about the various cores, whether he routinely used them or not. I also learned why some cores worked better than others did with each given wood. I learned how to apply and remove the finish from a wand when needed. In short, he started teaching me the Craft as his father had taught him, and his father before.

He taught me the steps needed to craft wands, and had me practice them relentlessly. I graduated for pieces of scrap, to wands that were truly scrap, eventually working my way up to actual work on actual wands. By the age of nine, I could actually make wands of sufficient quality that Master Garrick sold it from his shop as if they were his own work. I also performed simpler, and even not so simple wand reconditioning work too.

The philosopher Lao Tzu is famously paraphrased as stating, "The _journey of a thousand miles_ begins with a single step. I took at least a single step if not many each day I worked under Master Garrick. The original measure Lao Tzu used was roughly 570 kilometers, which would be a more apt description of learning the Craft.

§§§

While rewarding, my life through the rest of 1987 wasn't particularly exciting, which was fine with me. Other than apprenticing to Master Garrick, my only other excitement was getting Hector Smith as one of my mowing customers.

He was a Lycanthrope, or to be blunt, a Werewolf. He had attended one of the hedge academies before he was infected at the age of fourteen, which also cost him his leg. Since he was Muggle-born, he was able to play the Lycanthropy off as a side effect of having his leg chewed off by a wild animal, and was drawing a partial disability pension from the Muggle government, plus they also required his Muggle employer to give him time off for the full moons without fail.

Since Delores Umbridge removed herself from political life in such a dramatic fashion, she never got the anti-Werewolf laws passed as she did in my previous timelines. Being dead tends to do that to you, after all. Her memory caused anti-Werewolf- _discrimination_ laws to become en-vogue. Now, the Ministry had to _pay_ Hector Smith to take the night-school courses he needed to complete his OWLs and NEWTs. They also had to replace the wand they snapped when they forced him out of school back in the day.

If you're wondering about Remus Lupin; despite being infected at the age of _five,_ his family managed to keep his "furry little problem" a secret until _after_ he'd graduated from Hogwarts and passed his NEWTs! Since they couldn't really _prove_ he had been infected before he had taken his NEWTs, they couldn't even void his scores.

Back to Mr. Smith. Nineteen eighty-seven was the last year that the Werewolf Office fell under Magical Creatures. I was going door-to-door looking for clients, and Mr. Smith's lawn looked long enough that I would need to bag it. But since it was long, I had a shot at getting the job, so I rang the bell.

It was a Saturday in early April, and Mr. Smith had slept in. He was still in pyjamas, but had already put his leg on. I could also see the handle of his wand just above his left wrist. He was of average size and weight for a man in his mid-thirties, and his black hair was greying. Despite having just gotten up not too long ago, he was at least polite.

He asked, "What are you selling, kid?"

"Lawn mowing service, sir. My name is Ron Weasley."

"Are you a Catchpoler?" That told me that he was accepted as a 'local,' as well as him being a wizard.

"Yes, sir. My rate is ten pounds for the first mow, five additional for a second mow per week. This is payable after each mow, based on the grass being short enough to mulch. Bagging is five pounds extra, plus the cost of the Kraft Paper bags for _your_ bin-man to remove. Since you know about Catchpolers, unless you work as a musical conductor, I can waive the surcharge on the first mow if you don't pay too much attention to the bagging attachment of my mower.

"My name's Hector Smith. Do you know Amos Diggory?"

"Not that well, sir, Dad knows him much better since they both work at the Ministry."

"You need Mr. Diggory's permission as well as your dad's to mow my lawn."

That was when I put the pieces together. There was a small sticker on his screen door with a "no" type slashed circle over a smaller circle. That smaller circle would be a "full moon."

After that pause, I asked, "I hope I'm not being too nosy, sir. But how bad is the Ministry now?"

He answered, "Whether you knew it or not, they're actually almost decent now, and I have _you_ to thank for it!"

"Ok, sir, that sounds like a tale for after I get the form signed by Dad and Mr. Diggory. If I don't get the form today, when should I bring it by?"

"Saturday and Sunday are the only days that come close to good. When I'm not ill, I work long hours through the week."

"Ok, sir. If I can get the form back before mid-afternoon, I'll see you then. Otherwise, next Saturday Morning?"

"That will work, kid. Are you also the new paperboy for _The Mirror_?"

"And _The Times,_ too. With my Dad's help, I'm fairly 'clever' packing a side basket without being too noticeable about it."

"No problem, kid. And no newspaper before after the sun is fully up either, _ever._ My locks are solid, but I won't take the chance, or have it said I did just the same. Make sure _both_ papers are on your form, in case I decide on one for home delivery."

"Will do, Mr. Smith. I'll see you when I get the forms signed?"

He nodded and closed the door. Instead of continuing my route looking for customers, I rode straight home. Although he was slightly reluctant, Dad Floo'ed Mr. Diggory at home, and I had the properly signed and registered forms delivered to Mr. Smith two hours later. I also managed to sell a subscription to both the Mirror and the Times. Mr. Smith's restriction on delivery didn't affect my schedule, since I was only allowed to go as far as the grocer's and no further until after first light on most days, and on post-full-moon days I couldn't leave The Burrow until then.

§§§

I managed to get eight lawns to mow through the summer, along with the delivery of the _Mirror_ and the _Times._ The Muggle newspapers were also good for my Muggle studies, to allow me to keep up on current events. Dad also liked them, though Mum didn't care either way. Since my delivery driver always gave me a few 'extras' 'just in case you have one messed up,' they were basically free.

My four Muggle and two Squib mowing customers also became my sidewalk and driveway-shovelling customers in the winter. Provided that I didn't make too big a show of being the only seven-year-old in the Ottery who was able to bike before the snowploughs got out, I was ok. It _was_ the Ottery, after all.

While I didn't have 'grades at primary' to keep up as such, I still had to also study like mad. Even with being on my third time growing up, and having enough intellectual experience to work through the natural childish immaturity, it was _hard._ I hadn't studied a LOT of this stuff before, and it was even harder since a lot of the Muggle stuff was well beyond what Mum had studied. And unlike the Muggle kids, I didn't really have a teacher to help me figure it out! But, I worked at it, and I learned. Not bad for a seven-year-old, even if I had an extra eighty-one years behind that.


	3. Chapter 3 Parabellum, Cognita Calliditat

**AN: Oct 22, 2017, I did a major editing revision. This chapter has been split into two chapters, shifting the following ones up.**

 **Chapter 3, "Parabellum, C** **ognita Calliditate** **" where Ron first learns the craft…**

The whole of 1988, and the spring of 1989 were also blessedly boring. I worked, I played, and I learned. I also studied for my GCSEs. With the old "O-Levels" and "A-Levels" being wrapped into one nasty little package starting in 1989, I needed to work and study hard on ALL of my Muggle subjects. But, I knew I _could_ do it if I worked hard enough, so I _would._

My apprenticeship to Master Garrick and my magical education were also continuing apace. I was reading about, researching about, and writing about the Grindelwald and Voldemort Wars, learning as much as I could, which quite a lot was surprisingly.

I was now doing actual wand-crafting and reconditioning work, instead of just cleaning, watching, and listening. My rapidly growing skill in the craft not only raised my stock with Master Garrick, it also raised my pay as well. It would also get me in some spot of trouble towards the middle of August.

Once I was good enough at reconditioning wands from practicing with scrap, Master Garrick had me work with actual wands, though it was under supervision until he could tell that I knew how to do good work and also recognize what I _couldn't_ handle yet.

The Weasley household typically had twelve wands other than the ones that we actually used. Mum and Dad had wands they bought directly from Ollivander's. Each of us kids would use whichever one "from the box" worked best until we graduated, _then_ we would get a new wand for passing our NEWTs. I had been rotating the "box-wands" through Ollivander's since I got good enough at reconditioning, though I hadn't bothered to ask.

The first two I did were previously Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon's wands. Like the uncles who bought them, and the brothers who would carry them, they were identical twin wands, 11 and three quarters, cherry, bendy, crafted from a single cherry branch with cores of dragon heartstring from the same Norwegian Ridgeback, which was taken on the First of April in 1931. Garrick carved the wand blanks handle to handle, threaded the core into each half, and only then separated them.

The wands were in good condition before I started, but afterwards, they sparkled like jewels. The Twins, ungrateful in general though they may be, would be 'officially' carrying the wands they had filched together on an off for years as they started their first year. Their wands would look just like brand new, minus that pesky Trace. Since I was processing them as 'shop blanks,' neither Master Garrick nor I was under any obligation to put the Trace on them.

By this time, I had worked with enough different wands that a wand would recognize me as a wand crafter, and allow me to do more with it than an ordinary wizard without choosing or rejecting me. This is important because if a wand _rejects_ you, it will either do nothing or do _anything but_ the spell you are trying to cast.

Master Garrick had taught me to get a "sparkle-swish," the _Lumos_ and _Nox_ spells, and the _Avis_ spell without making a wand choose or reject me. Though _Avis_ was far easier with magical bird based cores, it was easy enough if mastered with a patient hand that it worked equally well for any wand. While Master Garrick could cast far more spells with a "neutral" wand, _Avis_ was best for an apprentice like me.

Wand-crafters typically cast these spells in the order I described them, for a very specific purpose; to diagnose the magical condition of the wand one is examining. Until your magical "feel" was good enough to tell what condition the wand was in magically otherwise, this is the only tool you have. Even knowing by feel, often times you still needed the results from the three spells to confirm your suspicions.

The _sparkle-swish_ is just what it says. This is the normal reaction, when not cast, that a wand gives when it "chooses" a wizard. When deliberately cast, it simply gives off the stream of sparks, indicating that it _is_ a wand. If you compare the quantity of sparks with the amount of magic you channelled when you cast the spell, you _can_ get a vague idea of how good a wand it is, but this can also be misleading, which is why you use the other spells.

You can cast the wand-crafter's variant of the _Lumos_ spell without forcing the wand to choose or reject you, with practice and a gentle hand. This is the simplest of spells that actually makes a wand work, and should always be followed up by _'Nox'_ to stop the wand from drawing and channelling magic.

Successfully casting _this_ spell confirms that the wand can actually _do work._ If a wand _chooses_ you and you can cast _Lumos_ with it, then you should be able to cast anything else you are actually able to cast, if the wand is in full working order.

Also, for most reconditioning methods to work at all, you have to have enough of a wand "left" to cast the initial reconditioning spells on it in the first place. While a "non-working" wand sometimes _can_ be reconditioned, it's a _very_ tricky business, and usually don't work. The end result is _still_ oftentimes a frail and delicate wand. In short, reconditioning a non-working wand is usually not worth the bother.

Finally, the _Avis_ spell, the wand-crafter's variant of the Bird Conjuring Charm, gives an indication of the wand's overall health. Like all wand-crafting spells, you cast with very little power. The more birds you get, and the 'happier' the birds are, the better condition the wand is in. So, you cast the spells I described when checking a customers wand to find out, in order, _Is it a wand? Is it a working wand? Is it a 'happy' wand?_

If the wielder treats a wand poorly enough, either by overpowering it, overusing it, or just treating it like shite, it will quit working. Sometimes you can reverse this.

If the wand was magically damaged but not completely burned out, you use a potion of Essence of Murtlap with Phoenix tears, diluted with natural spring water, and draw the solution into the wand to heal the wand's core. However, you need to identify whether the wand was overpowered, overheated, or just overused to get the right mixture. If the owner overpowered the wand, which is quite rare but not unheard of, you use one dram of Murtlap to three phoenix tears to one-quarter dram of water if the over-usage was from a super-heavy-duty battle rather than just one or two excessively overpowered spells, you up the water to one full dram. If it's just overwork, like on an assembly line, you up the phoenix tears to five and the water to three drams.

You also use the last solution on a wand that is just plain old, and has been beat to shite. For those wands, you also need to condition the wood. For major dents, you use steam and water the same way you remove dents from wood in furniture restoration, since a wand _is_ typically a wood product.

For chips, you can make a compound from the same type of wood as the original mixed with wand sealant glue, though this doesn't work very well on the handle or shaft, and doesn't work at all on the tip. If you are _very_ lucky, you can bond a chip in from the same actual piece of wood the wand came from. While not perfect, this can be damned near perfect with effort.

If your wand came from Ollivander's, you might be in luck, since Garrick Ollivander keeps _all_ the usable chips and scraps by wood and year made as did his father, grandfather, and so on. So, if you know who the original owner was, if the wand came from Ollivander's, and if the wand still works at all, you may just be in luck. Using a variation of the summoning charm normally _only_ taught by one Ollivander to their successors in running the shop, you can summon every last scrap of the wood that came from _your_ wand, leaving the others behind.

If your wand is too 'dirty,' you can clean it in magically extracted Lemon Oil, followed by polishing. If the surface is excessively rough from going a long time without polishing, you also clean it with magically extracted Lemon Oil, followed up by 0000 _silver_ wool, and a fresh finishing with boiled linseed oil.

One of our most common repairs we need to do is trying to salvage a wand where the owner tried to smooth the finish with _steel_ wool. The steel wool actually tends to _neutralize_ magic. While we _do_ on the rarest of occasions use steel wool, it is to try and remove the residue of a curse from the outside of a wand, not for general refinishing.

When these DIY'ers bring their wands in, they have typically ground so much iron into the wand that the core has magically collapsed. The wand is now a stick, and the customer owes us five galleons plus the cost of the new wand they will need to buy if they wish to cast any more spells.

I did the Twin's wands in February. They were also the easiest. I finished working through all of the 'box wands' by the end of April. The only "heirloom" wands left were the ones at school, namely Bill, Percy's, and Charlie's. The last one was the one that I was most interested in. It was the one of the lot that actually let me use it most easily. It would be the one that I took to Hogwarts in 1991. It was also in the worst condition, because Charlie always treated all of his stuff like shite.

I was also good enough that I was doing the simpler reconditioning jobs unsupervised, and I was also making _new_ wands as well, though at first Master Garrick would usually perform at least one of the final steps in the crafting. Still, I was a quick learner. I was reasonably good with my hands, and had yet to actually 'scrap' a new wand, or for that matter 'scrap' a recondition job that should have kept the wand going better.

The seventh new wand I made all by myself was truly special. It was fourteen inches long exactly, willow, with a unicorn tail hair freely given by the unicorn stallion from whence it came. Everything seemed to go right with the crafting of this wand.

I made the wand seamlessly and threaded the core in through the butt of the handle. The unicorn tail hair went in perfectly, bottoming out at exactly the right length and distance from the tip. The tail-hair was exactly the right length, and when I collapsed the core-threading spell, the sealing glue came out gently and perfectly.

I was able to get the finish mirror-smooth with little effort. Each coat of linseed oil soaked in just the right amount. The finish cured perfectly, it was glass-hard and fully flexible.

Master Garrick watched me as I worked, and let me do every step myself, like had six previous times. My other six were all good enough to put up for sale, but this one was going to be special.

Finally, after three days, I was ready to test it. I cast the _sparkle-swish_ and got a thick dense cloud of red and gold sparks. I next cast the _Lumos,_ it was instantly on, instantly pure white, and dazzling even though I was using normal wand-crafter test (which means damn near zero) power. I cast _Nox._ The wand was instantly dark. I finally cast _Avis._ I received a cloud of happy singing and energetic songbirds. It was my first true masterpiece.

Of course, sometimes things will go sideways. As I sighed in relieved satisfaction and lowered my arm, still holding the wand in my right hand, I got an even larger shower of sparks than I did from the _sparkle-swish_ \- and I wasn't channelling magic!

I had never heard of a wand just going random after its first test, especially after getting such good results from the test! I asked, "Master Garrick, what happened? What did I do wrong?"

Master Garrick answered, "Nothing that I can tell. That might actually be a problem. You remember how I interviewed you when you came to me?"

"Yes, Master Garrick. What does that have to do with now?"

"Everything. The reason I made you an actual apprentice instead of the cleaning boy I thought I was hiring as a favour for a friend, the reason I was _able_ to, was that a wand had already chosen you. Have you 'borrowed' wands at home, Ron?"

"Yes, Master Garrick. But all of our wands at home are 'heirloom' wands, and I've never tried to actually have one choose me; I've only ever borrowed them with the intention that they stayed with their 'chosen' or waited to choose."

"I believe that is true, at least as far as you understand. But I digress. If you had a wand that 'worked' for you, could you cast a levitation charm?"

"Of course, Master Garrick." I could actually cast a hell of a lot _more_ than a levitation charm, thank you very much, and different coordinated spells from each hand!

"Levitate this mug, Ron." He set his now empty tea mug on the bench.

Not sure what to expect, I tried to do what he asked – and succeeded perfectly!

Master Garrick told me to levitate the mug out to the front counter, changing height and direction as I went. I got the mug all the way out to the front counter, and set the mug down with the slightest of 'clinks' from fifteen feet away!

Master Garrick summoned his mug with his wand, and we went back into the workshop.

He said, "You have just proved your answer. A wand will not normally choose you when you make it. If they did, you would only be able to make your own wand, never one for someone else. But on the rarest of occasions, they do. Did you have a wand of these materials in a previous lifetime?"

I answered with realization, "In my first lifetime, the first and only new wand I had was made to the exact same size with the exact same materials. It was also a 'tail-loaded' wand. In my second lifetime, the twin to my wand from my first lifetime was present, but it no longer fit. Instead, I was chosen by a yew wand with a dragon heartstring core, a wand that served me well but that was notoriously temperamental."

Master Garrick said, "Congratulations then, apprentice. A wand crafter's seventh and eleventh wands are typically their best early work, with the seventh being the better between the two. I cannot sell you this wand, nor can I sell it to anyone else. If you need a wand to cast with when you are here, you will use this wand unless you are casting a spell required to be cast by the wand being serviced. I will be able to sell the wand to you at the end of June 1991, and will not be able to even lay it away for you until then. Come the day I can sell you the wand, you will owe me four galleons, eight and fourteen. In the mean time, it will 'live' on the bench. Congratulations for making your first, if still unofficial sale."

With that, a customer entered the front shop, and we both returned to work.

§§§

I didn't have any wands to do from home in May. Mum and Dad both took care of their wands and the wands weren't that old. However, I made my ninth, tenth, and eleventh new wand no assistance from Master Garrick, oddly enough giving each one its final polish and test on the ninth, tenth, and eleventh of May.

The ninth wand was 13 inches long, made of cherry wood, and had a unicorn tail-hair core. The wand was particularly energetic, and seemed like it would work well in many fields. Hopefully, Neville Longbottom would be allowed to have it choose him far earlier than his sixteenth birthday.

The tenth wand was birch, 12 inches long, and had a dragon heartstring core. It was a fine wand, but not nearly as noteworthy as the ones made immediately before and after.

The eleventh, which Master Garrick assured me would only be equalled by my seventh for quite some time definitely lived up to expectations. It was ten and three-quarters inches long, Vinewood, with a dragon heartstring. I really hoped that I would be in the shop when Master Garrick sold it.

June saw me reconditioning the wand that had last been Bill's. Mum and Dad were still so proud that Bill was Head-Boy, and were so confident in what his NEWT scores would be, that they bought his Ollivander's wand the very Monday after Percy, Charlie, and he got home. I even got to be visible in the front-shop and help ring up the sale!

Bill's "heirloom" wand was actually in very good condition. I quietly had him 'loan' me his wand in the shop Monday morning. Thursday evening, it was back at home and indistinguishable from a new Ollivander's wand, besides not being in one of our boxes.

I did Percy's wand on the first full week in July. While Percy was top in class grade ranking, second year had been hard for him, and he was stressing out about which elective courses he had chosen to start in third year. He chose Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, and was starting to worry that he had chosen too tough of a course-load to keep his grades up. I asked him the Sunday night prior if I could take it into the shop with me to clean it up the next day. He thought I would just be cleaning it. After looking at it, and messing up by _not testing it_ (last time I ever do _that_!) I thought I'd be returning it Monday evening.

His wand was actually in much worse shape than it looked. While at first glance it looked great, the look was all polish. I actually soaked it in Lemon Oil for _hours,_ and wiped it good and dry. It tested out as overworked and 'tired,' so I hoped that I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew. While I had asked Percy, neither of us had asked Mum, and he was starting to worry seeing that it was Monday night, and his wand was still on the Alley.

Tuesday, when I got in to the shop, I asked Master Garrick what he thought. He tested the wand, and asked if it tested the same way yesterday. It had actually tested slightly worse, but close enough that you could say the apparent improvement was the tester and not the wand being tested. He asked me what I had done so far. I replied "just lemon oil."

He answered, "Give it 'overworked draft, but up the phoenix tears by seven drops. Whose wand is this?"

I answered, "It's my Brother Percy's wand. I don't know whose it was before."

He asked, "Was it almost ebony looking instead of hazel?"

"Yes, Master Garrick."

"Well, at least your brother is not a 'DIYer.' When they come in like that, they usually need reconditioning _badly,_ but even at retail are typically worth the cost of doing.

"I'm sure you noticed that you had a _lot_ of polish?"

"I had to SOAK it in lemon oil! It took an hour to get it all loosened, and another two hours of wiping. I left it overnight under and on lemon oil soaked rags under the fire-spell hood, and wiped it down again this morning. Right now, it's _almost_ clean."

"Let me see it." Master Garrick told me.

I handed Percy's wand to him. He looked at again closely. He said, "I think if you give it the 'overworked draft' with seven extra drops and let it dry, we'll have a better idea what we're dealing with. The wood isn't dented too badly, but we'll see at 12:30."

Twelve thirty came around, and we checked on the wand. Ollivander gave it a quick look and said, "Use the silver wool on it for a bit, and let's have a look again." That I was 'staying over' on the clock to work on 'family business' was an unexpected and welcome boon. I thanked Master Garrick and carried on.

At five after one, Master Garrick checked on me again. "Well, you got one of the 'nicer' tough ones out of the way nice and early. When you get what I call a 'Crayola,' because it looks nice at first, but it's all beeswax and dirt; you actually were on the right track. Did you even ask your brother to borrow his wand to recondition?"

"Yes, Master Garrick. But neither one of us thought that…" The bell rang up front.

"Wipe this down with Lemon Oil again. This time, it should either be clean, or real close. If it isn't clean to my liking, I'll show you the wand-finish cleaning charm." I had yet to actually _need_ that charm, believe it or not. Master Garrick believed in using magic only where you _had_ to, when crafting or reconditioning wands. I worked my way into believing it as well, without ever considering otherwise.

He went to the shop front. He came back a minute later with someone I had hoped not to see right then.

"Percy? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my wand, _Ronald_."

"I'd have told you what was going on when I got home, Percy.

"You take great care of your wand, Percy, but it was basically a polish and dirt crayon! I started on it first thing after testing it Monday morning, and I _still_ don't have it clean! If I weren't having to talk to you, Master Garrick would be teaching me how to get the last of the crud off of it so I can refinish it. We had to use the 'overworked draft' with over double the normal amount of phoenix tears, and it still hasn't had time to digest all that yet.

"If I knew how long it would take, I'd have told you, and we'd have both asked Mum together! Mum's all about saving money; with all us kids to take care of, she has to be! When we're done, you will have gotten four galleons, five and seven worth of top-shelf work for free! Besides, the Twins already got their 'tune-up' back in March, and only Master Garrick and we know! Did you _really_ want to go back to school with a crap wand, Fred and George with like-new wands, and Charlie too busy to run interference?"

" _Ronnie_ , you being all 'mister I-think-I-am-a-wand-crafter,' told me you would have it back _last night!_ "

We Weasleys can be stupid with our tempers sometimes. Before I even realized how stupid I was being, I already had 'Lucky Seven' off of the bench, in my off-hand, and had levitated Percy's glasses off his face. I brought them away a foot or so, and hovered them back perfectly onto his face 'neat as you please.'

"No thinking here, _Percival Ignatius Weasley._ I _know_ that I made the wand I'm holding. Master Garrick knows I made this wand. He can't invoice me even for layaway until the end of June 1991. But then, I will pay him for it, have him put the Trace on it, and take it home with me."

"What's a Trace?"

"Something only _I_ will have to worry about, _Percival."_

"Your first 'customer service talk' could use some work, Apprentice Weasley. You need to keep the customer's disappointment from becoming your own, even if they are your brother and know exactly which buttons to push. In addition, remember, don't promise work for the close of business without testing it first, no matter how nice it looks on the surface. Observe."

Master Garrick took the wand, and examined it. He said, "Dampen a clean rag with lemon oil."

I did so, and he continued. "The incantation, while wiping the wand with the off hand, is ' _Purgeo Linaeus.'_ You repeat the incantation while wiping firmly. This is one of the few where you must wear your gloves… like you're already wearing, good job there. Take the wand and hand me a pair of gloves."

I did as Master Garrick asked, and we switched back again. He demonstrated the wiping and incanting. He flipped the wand around to wipe the handle.

"This is also one of the few spells cast while holding the wand shaft and not the handle." He continued to cast and incant, getting the last of _everything_ off of the wand.

Master Garrick asked, "Apprentice Weasley, did you have any lawns today?"

I answered, "No, Master Garrick."

He asked, "Mr. Weasley, do either you or your brother have to be home any time soon?"

Percy answered, "No, Mr. Ollivander. I asked Mum if I could go out and visit with friends at Florean Fortescue's."

"Is your brother your friend, Mr. Weasley?"

"Of course, Mr. Ollivander! I was just upset…"

"We all get upset from time to time, Mr. Weasley. Apprentice Weasley, you are not in trouble with me. I'm just more formal in front of customers. Your older brother needs to understand that my next oldest apprentice is forty, and did not start his apprenticeship until the age of eighteen. He is a solid journeyman in Canberra today. I almost discharged him because in the first six months he scrapped enough wands to heat the shop in winter. He only remained in my employ because he was also my _son._ You, Apprentice Weasley have yet to scrap a single one in over two years.

"Mr. Weasley, you have found your friend to visit with at Florean's. Hand your brother the money to pay. He _will_ get a discount, where you _might._

"Apprentice Weasley, sign out on your card as of two. Then, take your brother out the front door. Flip the break sign as you close the door, and I will lock it from here. It's ten minutes before two. Return at three o'clock and Mr. Weasley's wand will be finished and like new, or at least as close as I can get it. It feels like the wand I sold William Prewett in 1914, which was one of the first wands I crafted, on the twenty-second day of August in 1897, as only the twenty-second wand I had made to date. If it comes all the way around, which it feels like it should, it should be a truly impressive wand to behold and use.

Percy and I did as we were told, and walked to Florean's. We each got a scoop of Vanilla; Percy's with hot fudge and mine with strawberry. As we sat down in front of the shop to enjoy our treats, Percy repeated his question from back in the shop.

"You never said what the Trace is, Ron"

I answered, "Unless you're over seventeen, it's illegal to use deliberate wanded magic outside of Hogwarts, or other 'approved magical-only-areas,' except to preserve lives or property. Even _then,_ you _will_ have some explaining to do with the Underage Magic Office.

"The _Trace_ is the spell that lets the Ministry know that an 'underage' student is using magic outside of Hogwarts or other 'approved magical-only areas.' The Ministry maintains Underage sensors throughout the UK to monitor underage wanded magic use outside of magical areas or properties. The Bill of Rights actually _forbids_ that any such sensor may be set to look inside of a dwelling maintained by an adult wizard or witch, or anywhere within the wards protecting the land of an adult wizard or witch who has wards surrounding their property that block Muggles from seeing magic. If all the adults are Muggles or Squibs, though, they can, and oftentimes _do_ look. That doesn't mean that they will _do_ anything about it, particularly before the underage Muggle-born actually starts Hogwarts, but they _can_ if they see fit to do so.

"If an underage wizard or witch does magic with a wand with the Trace on it, the Trace puts a 'flag' on the spell so it can be picked up on the underage magic sensors.

"Every wand that we craft new or recondition where it can be proven that we know the wand is for an underage witch or wizard is supposed to receive the Trace, and be delivered directly to the underage customer over the front counter before they leave the shop. The Trace spell on the wand checks the age of the witch or wizard to whom it is bonded, and will automatically dispel itself upon the seventeenth birthday of the wand's wizard or witch. The Trace will _not_ normally 'take' for a wand that chooses an adult witch or wizard, and only lasts for five minutes or so if applied to a wand that's 'going on the shelf,' so we _can't_ put the Trace on every wand we make.

"All the wands I've done for the family have been inventoried as 'training scrap' for our records, and yours is actually only the _first_ wand I've done for the family where I probably _should_ put the Trace on it. I _won't,_ because I haven't for any one else's 'box wand.'

"If I didn't grow up just magically casting what I wanted and not 'losing' the ability to do so, I reckon that Mum would be _a lot_ stricter about magic use around the Burrow. And, it wouldn't be fair to put the Trace on _your_ wand when it wouldn't take for Ginny's, won't take for Charlie's, and I didn't put it on the Twins.

"Whether I actually _use_ it or not, the wand I grabbed off of the bench to levitate your glasses is _mine._ Since it already chose _me,_ we _can't_ sell it as new. I can actually cast with two wands at the same time, so I plan on reconditioning Charlie's wand, since Charlie could use a good fresh wand for his NEWTs, and I know the wand will choose me for Hogwarts. Once I've actually _started_ Hogwarts, since I'm an apprentice wand-crafter, I can actually _get_ a dual-wand permit from the Ministry, if Master Garrick turns in the application for me.

"I don't want to go to Hogwarts with a new wand where the rest of us didn't or won't, even though I apprentice for Master Garrick. It just wouldn't _feel_ right or fair."

Percy nodded in agreement, and said, "Thanks for telling me, and for all the work Mr. Ollivander and you are doing for the family."

"You're welcome, Percy" I answered, partly lost in thought.

As we continued eating our ice cream sundaes, my mind was all over the place. I laughed at the most random thought.

"What's funny?" Percy asked.

"Something stupid!" I answered, "You might get this, since you're all about getting on with the Ministry after you get out of school. 'Better a Hot Fudge than a Cold Umbridge.'

"The Jones guy I mow for told me that when the Evil Rat Man went to trial, two Ministry officials and a Desk Auror were also tried. The guy named Fudge was going along with imprisoning that Black guy the Evil Rat Man framed. He got five years in Azkaban, they also fined him one hundred thousand galleons, gave him a lifetime ban from working at the Ministry, and a ten year total wand ban after he got out of Azkaban! I heard the poor bastard's wife divorced him, and that he's living in Council Housing in Chippenham.

"Umbridge was the 'assistant ringleader.' Everybody knows that Lucius Malfoy was making a play for the Black fortune through his wife, but he's so slick that not even Arcturus Black could spear him, and he _never_ seems to run out of bribe money. So, Umbridge was left holding the bag.

"The Wizengamot wanted to _really_ make sure with her! They had her kissed, threw her body through the Veil, and forced _the Dementor that kissed her through the Veil too, just to make sure!_ "

Percy looked at me and said, "Ron, if you wanted _my_ ice cream too, you _could_ have just asked!"

"Sorry, Percy. Really, I am. I said it was stupid, though…"

"I bet your stakeout partner would be silently laughing his ass off."

"Not really, he's complaining about his partner's sick sense of humour and missed our subject, the amazing Penelope Clearwater."

Percy blushed bright red, and muttered, "We're only _friends…_ "

I retorted, "Only because, you're thirteen and too easy to take the Mickey on because you're in puberty but are too scared of losing her friendship to ask her out.

"I wish Ignatius was here…" Percy sighed in frustration. _Who?_

I asked, "Who is Ignatius? The only one I know is one I can't take the Mickey for it because I'm _Bilius._ "

"Mum never told you?"

I finished the last of my ice cream. No lunch, early breakfast, I needed _something._

"No, she never even told me there was something to tell. Was he like Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon?"

"Yes, and no. There were two boys born in 1976 that are important to the family, at least I _hope_ they are. They were Arthur Bilius and Ignatius Septimus. They were both the cutest little boys, or so I'm told. But they were several month premature, and didn't handle it well. They both nearly died. Ignatius Septimus… _Weasley… Did._

As the horror began to dawn on me, Percy continued, trying to keep from sobbing as he went. "Things were _really_ tight for us. Things were so bad, Dad says, that they couldn't afford a casket, or a vault, or even to have a grave dug in the Burying Yard in the Ottery with the rest of the Weasleys and Prewetts. He's buried on the slight hill that overlooks the pond and the field where we fly our brooms, in a coffin Dad made by hand, with his hospital blankets for a liner. There's a marker there that reads, 'Ignatius Septimus Weasley, August 22-September 5 1977, Beloved Son and Brother.'

"We were fourteen days old when Ignatius died. I was twenty seven days old when I came home, because St. Mungo's had done what they could, and I would live or die equally well either there or here. With here, being what Dad and Mum could afford. I was ten months old before they finally decided that I would definitely make it.

"Didn't you wonder why I'm the only Weasley or Prewett under ninety to wear glasses? I was physically marked by my rough entry into the world. While most of me eventually caught up well enough, my eyes didn't do as well. I'm not blind without my glasses by any means. However, I need them to read, and when I'm tired to even make out the finer details of faces unless you're right next to me.

"The day the healers finally declared that I would actually 'make it,' Mum, Dad, and I went to the Ministry, to the Vital Records Office. They changed my name that very day to Percival Ignatius Weasley. 'Ignatius' was for Mum's Dad and so Ignatius would in some way remain with me and see in some small way the world he would otherwise forever miss. I'm the first 'Percival' in either the Weasleys or the Prewetts… because I persevered.

"Mum and Dad didn't tell me until I was five. I never knew Ignatius, of course. But I always knew that something, that _someone_ , was missing. There was a hole in my heart that would never be filled, never get better, and I didn't even know what, or _why._

"They would have _never_ told me, I guess, if I hadn't tripped over his headstone. I was four, waiting to turn five in about two month's time. It was a beautiful June day. The birds were singing, and the butterflies were fluttering so prettily. I decided that I had to chase them and get a closer look. I didn't even bother with my shoes and socks. I just ran out of the house to chase the butterflies flying over the hill. As I left the house, a cloud passed over the sun. A hole in the cloud cast a 'Stairway to Heaven' that landed on the top of the hill.

"I ran as hard and as fast as I could, up to the top of the hill. I ran like the wind, laughing like mad, because everything was so wonderful! I had Mummy and Daddy, two older brothers who were nice to me, two younger brothers that I could tolerate and was jealous of for a reason I couldn't figure out, and a little brother who might actually play with me when he got bigger. I made it to the top of the hill, and I was on top of the world!

"Then, I tripped on the Stone. I had never been to the top of the hill, so I didn't know the Stone was there. I skinned the toes of my right foot and my right knee, and it hurt. But I was almost five! I was a big boy, Mummy and Daddy said so! I even knew my letters and how to read! So, I looked at the Stone. I was actually mad at the Stone at first, because it tripped me when I was having such a wonderful day!

"But the Stone was a Stone, and not a stone. It had something to say to little Percy that morning. It had fifty-eight letters, six numbers, one dash, and one full stop. With those characters, it told me that half of me would never be happy, or sad, or _anything – EVER._

"I broke down crying and couldn't stop, or at least didn't know when I would stop and start again. I don't remember if Dad had the day off or if Mum called him home from work in pure terror. You know now that the You-Know-Who war was still going full-bore. They didn't know if their little boy was made to quit 'persevering' or if he had had an accident and quit all on his own.

"They told me that it was two forty-five in the afternoon when the found me crying next to the Stone, the exact moment when they lost one Ignatius, but had yet to be sure they would have another. But they did explain who Ignatius was.

"They might have thought that if they didn't make a fuss either way that I might still be too young to remember. But I will _always_ remember. The pain must be so great for them that I'm not sure they even _talk_ about him to each other.

"I don't blame or resent them for that. My pain is just as great, just different, yet it is only by pure accident that I've told _you._ You are the seventh son, and never even knew before just now.

"Fred and George think they are the only twins of their generation, and that is why they honour Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon. If they learn, they will have to learn from _you._ They're old enough to know, and if Mum and Dad haven't told them by now, they never will. Maybe Mum and Dad will tell Ginny when _she's_ old enough. I don't think she's there yet. I'm not sure I'll _ever_ be there…"

Percy and I both broke down completely, holding onto each other for dear life, as if we had just lost a brother. In a way, I supposed we both had.

After the first war, I saw how poorly George had got on at first. I certainly didn't blame him, and didn't even pretend to know how much more painful the loss of an identical twin brother was when compared to the loss of an older brother. Some comparisons just make no sense to make.

He eventually came around. But the wound had never healed, at least not by the age of fifty-eight, which was George's age when I left that world.

What was more disturbing to _me_ was the fact that this might _not_ be a difference between the previous timelines. I knew the people involved, and all of them in all three timelines kept their own counsel when they believed it suited them. Sometimes, being exposed to magic your entire life makes you _less_ aware of it rather than more. There was a grave on a hill in this world. There may or may not be a grave on a hill in the other two worlds, and _I will never know._

We continued to cry and mourn together, Percy and me, until we were interrupted.

"Why are you here? Why are you _crying?_ " Mum asked.

"You never told him" "I never knew," we both said, talking over each other.

"What?" she asked?

"Ignatius" we said in unison.

Not denying it at all, not that it would have worked, she instead asked, "What brought him up?"

I answered, "Percy wished he was here."

Mum said, "We all do, Ronnie." Her breath hitched, just a tick.

Recomposing herself, she said, "You two need to go back with me to Ollivander's. He Floo'ed me not five minutes ago, when he saw the two of you out here. Florean put up a notice-me-not charm on the two of you, but didn't realize you would be out here so long."

I looked up to see Florean Fortescue standing discretely by. Before I could apologize, he said, "Don't worry, Apprentice Weasley. We all find that we occasionally have 'unfinished business' from time to time."

As Percy and I stood, I answered, "Thank you, Florean."

Florean waived us off with a sad smile. Perhaps he had 'unfinished business' as well.

We returned to the shop to be greeted by Master Garrick. "I hope the two of you are doing better."

I answered, "It was for me the delayed receipt of horrific bad news. It predated me, but was still a shock."

Changing subjects, I asked, "How did the wand turn out?"

"Quite well, Mr. Weasley, please take your wand and give it a wave." Master Garrick answered,

Percy did, and received a thick shower of red and gold sparks.

Master Garrick explained, "I used a trade secret I haven't yet taught you, Apprentice Weasley. It is a rather tiring one to use, so I'll wait another year or so to teach it to you. However, I wouldn't have it if our customers didn't need it from time to time. The trade secret, like the rest of the supplies, counts against apprentice training materials, so the accounts are square. Did you have other business on the Alley, Mrs. Weasley, or would you like to use my Floo?"

"We'll use your Floo if we may, thank you," she answered. We each in turn Floo'ed home.

§§§

We sat down at the kitchen table. Mum said, "Ronald, if you borrow any more wands, you _will_ ask your Dad or me as well as the one who is carrying it, ok?"

"Yes, Mum" I answered.

"That said, I'm more bothered by not knowing where Percy's wand was, and that I didn't know that I didn't know, then that you borrowed it to refurbish. Refurbishment of wands is not cheap, so we haven't done so without desperate need.

"So far, we've been able to get Bill a new wand for passing his NEWTs, and hope to do that for the rest of you. Ron, how many more heirloom wands do you have to do?"

"Only Charlie's, which is the worst of the lot and the best match for me. I did Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon's wands back in February, and we all know that the Twins _always_ find and _always_ use them!"

Speak of the devil, and they shall appear, "Good job, Ronnikins, for getting in trouble for getting us free wand work!" said one.

The other one added while the first one raided the fridge and grabbed two pieces of fried chicken, "We wondered why the wands got better. But we thought you were only sweeping up and listening to stories."

I raised my right eyebrow and right hand. They realized that yes, their impromptu picnic _was_ outside, and they had better catch it. I shouted to their backs, "Not in the back garden! Let me invite some hags for supper and see how _you_ feel!"

Getting back to wands, I said, "I've also already done Bill's old wand. I think that it will choose Ginny more readily than any of the others.

"Like I said, that only leaves Charlie's, which used to belong to Grandfather Septimus. It's the closest match of the lot for me. It will also be the hardest fix because Charlie doesn't take care of _anything._ He drums with it, he taps it on the table and counter all the time, I think that he even _chews_ on it occasionally. That wand is a mess, and it's scary, which is part of why I left it for last. It was also at school with Charlie, and I've only gotten confident in my reconditioning work after January.

"But he doesn't cast a lot of magic, unlike everyone else, so I would like you to give me your permission to recondition it starting tomorrow, and taking as long as it takes. I can test it first right now, if Charlie is here or at least if Charlie's _wand_ is here. And, even if the Underage Magic office watched places like ours, wand-crafting test spells, unlike the normal equivalents, don't trip the underage meters."

Mum thought about it and yelled, "CharLEEEE!"

Charlie heard, and came thundering down the stairs. He asked, "Yes, Mum?"

"Can you do without your wand for a while? How long, Ronnie?"

Mums always keep the 'little boy' name longer than anyone, particularly including you.

"Anyway, I'll need to test it. If it feels like I will have to have Master Garrick's help, I won't give you a time until _he_ gives me a time, if it can even be reconditioned. I can test it right now…"

"Ollivander's lets _the janitor_ fix wands?" Charlie exclaimed in shock.

I held my temper and replied, "I was a 'janitor' for only a week. I've actually been learning the Craft, and have already made complete new wands that are up for sale! You're also the ONLY Weasley kid in school with a beat-up wand. We just got Percy's back about twenty minutes ago. Show him your wand, Percy?"

Percy showed Charlie his wand, and Charlie tried to call 'shenanigans.' "No way! That's a new wand! Why does Percy get a new wand when he's only going into third year?"

Mum answered, "It's still your Great Grandfather Prewett's wand, Charlie. It's just been spruced up. Ronnie _might_ be able to do yours, but he needs to check it. Hand Ronnie your wand."

Charlie wasn't looking for an argument, and for once wasn't looking for his wand, either. He handed the wand to me. The wand actually felt… frightened? Weird.

I said, "The third test generates birds, and won't go so well with the soup and bread on the cooker, so we need to go out into the back garden. How far along is the bread, Mum?"

"I've got a charm on it, _Ron_." Ok. Now, how to do that _without_ upsetting her.

We walked out into the back garden. The twins were actually just past the pond, having decided that while teasing 'little Ronnikins' was cool; teasing the birds that created their breakfasts might not be such a good idea. I proceeded to explain and demonstrate the spells in order.

"If I may have your wand too, Percy, for a comparison?" Percy handed me his wand.

"Thanks, Percy. The first spell looks like what the wand does when it first chooses someone, but is cast instead of just happening. It is the _spark-shower_ spell, and does just what it says. This is one of the odd old spells where if you use an incantation at all, you use the one of your native language instead of Latin or something else – unless of course your native language actually _is_ Latin. The spell tells you that what you're testing actually _is_ a wand, with some indication of what condition the wand is in.

"Here's Percy's first." I wave the wand and get another nice thick shower of red and gold sparks.

"Now, Charlie's." I got some sparks out of it, but not very many.

The next spell is actually the standard combo of _Lumos_ and _Nox._ A wand can still be a wand, but be too damaged to work. This pair actually checks to see if the wand works. You look for how quickly it lights, the colour and intensity of the light, and how quickly the light goes out. Unlike the normal casting, you use almost no power at all. You are trying to check the wand, not claim it. Percy's first again."

I cast the spell-pair with Percy's wand, and got a strong and perfect response.

"Now, Charlie's wand." I cast the spell pair. The light was slow and dull gold, with a brighter gold fleck where the tip was chipped exposing the core. With _Nox,_ the light slowly faded like in the cinema when a show starts.

"In the first test, Charlie's wand gave a weak response when compared to Percy's which is freshly reconditioned. In the second test, Charlie's response time was sluggish for _Lumos,_ and _very_ sluggish for _Nox._ "

"The last spell is _Avis._ While this spell works best for bird-feather based wand cores, it does adequately for all other core types, unlike the test spells for those other core types, which are for one type only.

"The spell produces a flock of twittering birds. The over health of the wand can be judged by the quantity, liveliness, and overall activity of the birds. Percy's first."

I cast Avis with Percy's wand, actually for the first time since before I started reconditioning it. I got a huge flock of lively, friendly, singing songbirds. "Mum, a little _finite_ would be a big help, please?"

Mum took her wand and needed four passes to send our conjured avian friends packing.

"Now, Charlie's" I announced.

I cast the spell, and got one bloated, badly moulting starling that could barely fly. It orbited us three times, landed in Charlie's hair, puked, shat, and dispelled.

"I didn't cast it to do _that!_ It was the wand."

Everybody looked at me doubtfully. Mum finally broke the silence and said, "I believe you, Ronnie. But won't Mr. Ollivander insist on charging for all the work for this one, even with you doing the work?"

I answered, "No, Mum, and thanks for believing me. But it will take at _least_ a week, and possibly, longer, with the condition it's in. The one thing we have going for us is that it _is_ an Ollivander's wand, and that Grandfather Septimus actually bought it new.

"Once I told Master Garrick who had the before Charlie, and I described it a little, he remembered when he sold it to Grandfather Septimus, and when he _made_ it. He has chip boxes sorted by wood type and year, for _every_ wand his shop has made going back _hundreds_ of years. He also has a spell that he taught me that can summon the chips that were actually cut off from Grandfather Septimus's wand when Master Garrick made it! At least, the spell will work if the wand still works, anyway."

Charlie interrupted, "I don't believe you. Professor Flitwick won't teach us the Bird Conjuring Spell until this year! And how would _you_ have a _gentle_ touch anyway, with all of your hand-waving stuff! If I wanted to, _I_ could make a bird crap in _your_ hair, too!"

"Not with _this_ wand, Charlie" I retorted. "It is _not_ in that good of shape, and I'm surprised it will still let you cast with it. You have _teeth marks_ on it, really! The polite version of the difference in touch is that Mum caresses your ear like a feather when you're sad and she wants you to smile. Or she wrings it like a chicken's neck when you've messed up and she wants to get your attention. You learnt to wring necks only. Master Garrick taught me to use a 'feather's touch.' When I'm testing a wand, I'm like a healer with a sick child, _not_ a Malfoy on a date!"

Mum asked the one question that really did make sense. "Even if Mr. Ollivander lets you try to refurbish the wand, will it be worth it?"

I answered, "Providing you realize there is a chance, particularly with a wand this far gone, that I might 'scrap' the wand, meaning that the wand will never work again ever. This is the worst wand I've tried yet, and Master Garrick has already had me work on some wands more to see how badly I'd mess them up than with any expectation that I would get them back into shape. I have _never_ scrapped a wand under Master Garrick, _ever._ I've already made twelve wands completely on my own, that are now up for sale, waiting to choose a witch or wizard, plus many where I did most of the work, and a _lot_ of reconditioning.

"Worst case scenario is that I try to recondition it, I fail, but that part costs you nothing. Charlie might make it past his NEWTs with the wand like it is, but I wouldn't bet on it. If you want, Mum, I can take it in tomorrow. How fast I get it done depends on how much paying business we have coming in. We have to pay attention to the cash customers.

"But the money Master Garrick saves by having an under-age and on-waiver student apprentice makes up for a _lot_ of time on 'freebies,' provided I'm actually _learning_ from the freebies. I've already done eleven wands for the family, and it hasn't cost us a Knut. So worst case, buy Charlie his NEWT gift two years early. Best case, I get the wand like new, Charlie promises and actually TAKES CARE OF IT INSTEAD OF POUNDING IT INTO THE GROUND LIKE A TENT PIN, and I have a nice relatively 'like-new' wand for Hogwarts in September of 1991. What do you want me to do?"

Mum thought about it for a moment, and asked, "Are you sure the wand won't last otherwise?"

I answered, "I'm not sure the wand _will_ last. It's not quite the same thing, but the difference might be worse? Do you have the time to make a random trip to either Hogsmeade or the Alley, meet Charlie, go to Gringotts, go to Ollivander's, and so on?

"Or, what if the wand blows up in the middle of NEWT Practicals? That's one NEWT delayed until the hedges start their students through, which means a delay in Charlie's results. The worst is they actually flag him as a Troll for that test with a twelve-month bar to retesting. It depends on what mood the invigilator is in, and if they believe that you honestly thought you could show up to a NEWT Practical with a wand like that and expect to cast passing results with it."

Mum said, "Ok. Can you get us a discount if we have to replace Charlie's wand?"

I answered, "I'm not sure. I _think_ so, but it's Master Garrick's shop. And I haven't learned enough to custom make a wand guaranteed to choose a particular person, even if I had my own shop and tools. So, if you have to, and you find eleven galleons, but the wand only ends up being five galleons, eight and five, that's better than only looking for half and having to pay the whole thing."

Mum thought about it for a moment before saying, "I'll have to talk to your Dad before saying. This is too big to just surprise him with. But I think it has to be done."

We made our way back into the kitchen just as the charm went off for the bread and Dad came through the Floo from work. The noise brought both Ginny and Bill downstairs. Bill had a holster on for his wand that got somewhere other than Ollivander's. Ginny had Bill's old wand in her sock, which wasn't fooling anyone.

I decided to ask Bill about the 'important stuff,' hoping that Ginny wasn't trying to completely cheat me by sticking me with Charlie's beat-up stuff. "Hi, Bill. May I have your telescope and scales? I start school before Ginny does, and your stuff still works."

He answered, "What, no 'how are you?' or 'how's the job search?' or 'May I have your wand?' even?"

"You spent the afternoon relaxing and playing with everybody's favourite sister, so I know you're fine. You have something in the works about the job because you're smiling that much more, and you'll tell us or not depending on how solid it is. And, while Ginny can use any wand in the house, yours is her best fit and is already in the sock holster right now. I'm stuck with Charlie's wand or having to get a new one since the box wands don't work that well for me. I even reconditioned the closest match, and it won't choose me."

"Yeah, you're starting to build a good name on the Alley, which is a good thing. I know this because I've only been back for a half hour longer than you guys, anyway. And _I_ was at Gringotts today processing in with employee processes. I'm already on the payroll. Bad news is also the greatest part of the news. I'm going to train to be a curse breaker!"

Congratulations were given by all, including a relieved and smiling Dad.

"So, how much and how long of that is in London?" I asked.

"I'll train here until September or so before transferring to Egypt." he answered.

Supper was a happy affair, with everyone talking and listening, like many Weasley suppers when everyone was home. After supper, Mum asked Dad about the wand. He let out a long-suffering sigh, but gave his permission, especially after seeing just how badly Charlie had treated his father's wand. I didn't need to be a _seer_ to forecast a squall of garden-de-gnoming in Charlie's future.

§§§

The next day, I took the wand into the shop. The first thing I did was to show it to Master Garrick. He looked it over, felt it, and performed the spark-swish and Lumos-Nox tests. He didn't even bother with _Avis._ He looked very closely at the tip, where the frayed little nib of unicorn tail-hair poked forlornly out. He handed the wand to me and spoke.

"Against my better judgment, Ron, and despite the fact that I have already let you work eleven other wands through the shop without charge, I will let you work on this wand exclusively until you either refurbish it or fail. It will be a learning experience for you. You will have to tell me what you do to the wand, and what you've learned from it. Were you comfortable with the 'wand-cleaning charm' when you used it on Percy's wand?"

"Yes I was, Master Garrick, and thank you. Do you have any other advice or guidance?"

He answered, "I will show you a few more tricks as the job progresses. You and I have both tested the wand, _right?_ "

"Yes, Master Garrick. I tested it yesterday evening, before getting both Mum and Dad's permission to work on it. The _Avis_ spell produced one moulting starling, which defecated and vomited on Charlie's head before dispelling itself."

"Interesting, Apprentice. What do you think the _Avis_ result meant?" he asked me.

"Master Garrick, I'm only guessing for part. Only one bird meant that the wand was in very poor magical condition. A starling instead of a songbird, I'm guessing, would suggest irritation, since starlings are nuisance birds. Having a moulting starling also indicated extreme overuse. The starling vomiting and defecating directly on Charlie would suggest loathing and contempt."

Master Garrick said in reply, "Add 'fear,' and you're spot-on. Great reasoning, Apprentice Weasley.

"I will teach you more about the results from the _Avis_ spell through this week. However, I'll tell you a bit more right now. Normally, you get songbirds, if you get any results at all. There _are_ exceptions, though.

"Starlings indicate irritation with the last wizard or witch to bond to the wand. Pigeons indicate that the wand has _rejected_ its last wizard or witch, but will not _attack_ them. _Multiple_ crows, ravens, and rooks indicate _very heavy_ use of Dark or Combat magic. You will get this result from the wand of a Dark wizard or witch, or from a Hit-wizard, Battle-Mage, or Field Auror who has fought in many battles and taken many lives over _many_ years. This effect will only last while the wand is still bonded to that particular witch or wizard.

"A _single_ raven indicates that the wand, if given the chance, will attempt to _take the life_ of its last wielder, and a _single crow_ means that the wand will try to take the life of _any_ who attempt to wield it.

"So, if you either get _any_ number of pigeons, or a single raven or crow, _scrap, snap, and burn._ The 'pigeon' wand will not work for the customer, and you _never_ want to sell used wands in your own shop. You will only ever be blamed for the lack of craftsmanship of other wand-crafters, and people will always have doubts of getting a new wand if you also sell used wands.

"Unless you are a magical zoologist, you can't tell one corvid from another in the second or so that the single corvid presents, and the _crow_ wand will kill _you_ while you attempt to recondition it.

"My older brother Gaston was _supposed_ to get this shop, and I was planning to set up shop in the magical quarter of Amsterdam after I had my journeyman's card. Gaston thought he got a raven from a customer, and against what is now common sense, took it in for work on a Tuesday morning.

"He said that he thought he could get the wand to 'turn back' and not kill the customer by purifying the wand after reconditioning it, which at the time was not an entirely uncommon practice, though a wand that becomes a 'corvid' rather than burning out completely is not common. We buried what was left of him Wednesday morning, and also lost _every_ tool, bench, and on-hand blank and core we had in the main workshop. He was only fourteen.

"Fortunately, our 'chip library' and most of our reserve stocks of blanks, cores, and so on were and still are kept in the basement. However, the losses as they were, were more than great enough, as I am sure you can imagine.

"Getting a wand to present a single corvid is quite rare. You can also _feel_ if a wand is likely to present this as well. The last time I had a customer bring in a 'corvid-likely' wand was in 1954.

"So, the governing phrase here is, "Pigeon or crow, and out you go."

He finished up by asking, "What will you do, now that you've determined that the wand is safe to recondition and worth the bother of reconditioning?"

"First, I'll summon the chips and shavings for this wand, to see what I have to work with, particularly with the tip. Once I have an idea of that, then I can decide if I have enough for a solid chip-fill or have to build one up. Next, I will clean it with lemon oil to evaluate the condition of the wood better.

"I will also need your help on selecting a wand potion, since I have never gotten the results from the _Avis_ spell like I did yesterday. After identifying and administering the correct potion, if the core feels like it has improved enough, I will strip the wand completely. I will need to shave the chip edges without nicking the core. I will also need to see how much of the exposed core tip is frayed beyond what the potion will heal, and make a clean trim. With that sorted, I will make a threadable cap, to minimize the reshaping and length loss to the wand. If I get as far as to get the cap to take and have the wand's aim accurate, I will evaluate the condition of the shaft and handle again, and decide how many of the dents and bite marks I can remove. I hesitate to say more, since right now I'm not sure I'll get that far."

"Well-thought out, Apprentice. For the potion, use 'tired wand' with twenty-one extra phoenix tears and only half the spring water. As for the reaction, it was not merely a tired wand; it was also badly mistreated. As we've discussed already, having the bird or birds defecate on the one who normally wields them shows contempt, and vomiting indicates fear and revulsion."

I nodded my head. Master Garrick spoke again.

"Let your Mum and Dad know that should it be needed, I will extend a very generous discount should they need to buy another wand soon, and will also allow them to make payments if they need to. What you will not tell them yet is this. If you _do_ succeed, this wand will likely no longer be a good fit for Charlie because of how he has treated it in the past.

"I know that _I_ could recondition this wand, though the time it will require would make it uneconomical for me to do it, since it would cost half again as much to refurbish this wand as to buy a new one. I also know that _you_ can also successfully recondition this wand, and learn a lot about the craft even if you actually scrap your first wand with this one. I _will_ quiz and test you as you work, of course.

"For work while waiting, there's a nice short block of Hawthorne on the bench, that should yield a serviceable wand when cored with the rather short unicorn tail-hair that I got as part of our latest spring delivery from Hogwarts."

Hogwarts does not have the largest unicorn herd in Europe, or even in the UK. However, especially with Rubeus Hagrid as gamekeeper, they have the most _productive_ one for unicorn tail and mane hairs, as well as producing the finest quality of tail and mane hairs for wand cores.

With that sorted, I got to work at 7:51 that morning. First things first, I pulled the shavings box for "1925 Ash." Master Garrick had already told me that he had made the wand in 1925, and had sold it to Grandfather Septimus in 1931 as a first-wand for Hogwarts. I got several promising pieces, including the one I actually intended to try first. I reserved the rest into a 'chip-cup' that I labelled as 'S. Weasley, 1925, Ash', which I put on the upper bench to have on hand. If the reconditioning took, the remaining chips would go back to the '1925 Ash' box. If I scrapped the wand, I would bin the lot. If the first chip _didn't_ take, but things looked hopeful that a second or even third try _might,_ I had the chips handy; since by then I would _not_ be able to summon them at all.

With one almost 'sure-fire' chip for a solid fill, I proceeded to clean the wand with the lemon oil. There was no polish on the wand, only dirt, grime, and what was left of the linseed oil. The first deep cleaning revealed almost no finish left on the upper two thirds of the wand, some finish in the 'middle,' and many worn areas on the grip.

I mixed the tired-wand potion as Master Garrick had suggested. I placed the wand in the 'drinking pitcher,' cast the wand-potion-imbibing spell with the ash wand, and started to carve the Hawthorne wand blank. Of course, since this was going to be Draco Malfoy's wand, the bastard had to strike me with it while it wasn't even a _wand,_ yet!

My 'coarse whittle' had a chip which I hadn't noticed when I inspected it. The whittle skipped, and somehow cut my left index finger. _Not good!_

"BLOOD! BLOOD!" I shouted, as I got well away from the bench and staunched the (in any other circumstances fairly tiny) amount of bleeding. Master Garrick immediately locked the door and came back to help. This reaction may seem to you like 'making a mountain out of a molehill' with the cut being shallow and only a quarter of an inch long, but this is far from a minor thing in the workshop end of a wand shop!

If you contaminate a wand with all but the slightest amount of blood while making it, you will blood-bind the wand to _you_ as well as to whomever it chooses. This is _not_ good for business. It is also actually one of the more arcane and more closely guarded secrets in all of wand-lore.

"Blood contamination can also cause wands, even if not blood-bound, to behave erratically even years later, thus lowering the reputation of your shop. So, while you seldom wear gloves, since the delicate carving required prohibits the dexterity loss of non-magical gloves, and magical gloves would literally destroy a wand as you made it, blood contamination is a _very serious_ issue.

Master Garrick was back in the workshop almost before I finished shouting, with the med-kit phoenix tears at hand. He put a drop on the cut, sealing it with a bubbling hiss and leaving unblemished healthy skin behind. He next cast 'S _anguis Evanesco'_ on both whittle and Hawthorne, which I dropped onto the floor and _not_ the bench precisely as Master Garrick taught. Finally, he cast ' _Sanguis Deprehensio'_ through the entire shop. Finding the shop clean, he put the whittle in the trash bin. He got a fresh whittle from the tool locker, checked it for sharpness, and whittled off the possibly contaminated wood directly into the bin. He cast ' _Sanguis Deprehensio'_ much more deliberately on the blank.

Nodding in satisfaction, he asked, "Are you alright, Ron?"

I nodded in return, still in shock and embarrassment for my first 'blood incident.'

Master Garrick said, "You handled it well, Ron. Going this long without an incident is a good thing, and you're not in trouble."

He cast ' _Sanguis Deprehensio'_ repeatedly one last time over the bench area, checking the bench area where I was working, leaving no crevice unchecked, or so we thought at the time. He even cast the spell on the now empty and dry 'drinking pitcher,' my 'ready cup,' the chip inside it, the rest of the chips, and the ash wand itself. Finding no contamination, he spoke again.

"There is no contamination. This could have been a lot worse. Just the same, I won't have you whittling or carving anything else today.

"The ash wand has also drained the 'drinking pitcher.' How much of the solution did you make?"

I answered, "I didn't want to take any chances on making a second draft with the shape the wand was in, so I made seven ounces total. It drank _all of that?_ "

"It would seem so," he answered. He drew the wand from the pitcher and cast the ' _spark-shower_ ' spell. He got a decent flow, particularly since the potion needs to be 'digested' by the wand for up to a full day to show full effect.

"Based on the time involved, and the sparks, would you think the wand needs more potion?"

I answered, "You've always taught me that 'a dry pitcher was not full enough.' I'll mix another seven ounces."

He said, "Myself, I would only make three, but this wand just might be thirstier than I had suspected. Let's prove out your first guess of seven ounces."

I mixed the seven ounces of potion, and poured it into the pitcher. Casting the 'wand-potion-imbibing' spell again, the wand visibly drank the potion down to less than an eighth of a dram.

"Curious" Master Garrick said.

He continued, "It is now 10:30. I will clean up. You will clock out as of 12:30 and go home. You will _still be on the clock._ Write me at least nine inches, exactly like Hogwarts Homework, on what happened today, how you could have prevented it, and what _could_ have happened had things gone even worse.

"You are an apprentice, which means that you are supposed to be _learning._ This is not a _punishment,_ but I need to evaluate your learning every bit as closely as if I were 'Professor Ollivander and this were 'Third year wand-crafting.' _When_ you test for your journeyman's license, whomever I have test you for me will see every written assignment I've set for you, as well as your time records and samples of your work. I will see you, and your assignment, first thing in the morning."

I thanked Master Garrick and Floo'ed home.

You might think I'm going on too much about this wand. I've written this much, and will write more, because my wand-crafting experience has shaped me in this lifetime. You've also already seen the beginning of why I ended up in the Hogwarts infirmary, along with Charlie, the following Saturday; and why things were well and truly strained at The Burrow for the rest of the year.

§§§

That was Tuesday. With another grant of Master Garrick's 'special trade secret' tricks to finish things out, the wand was ready Friday afternoon, though I worked 'off the clock' to do the last of the polishing. I tested the wand before leaving the shop. I got a thick and generous shower of sparks, instant response to _Lumos_ and _Nox,_ and a full and lively flock of songbirds. Master Garrick had Mum and Charlie come in the front as customers at half-five.

I gave the wand to Charlie, and had him give it a wave. He had to give it _three_ waves to get it to respond, but on the third wave, it accepted him. The sparks, though full and thick, seemed almost _hesitant,_ though. He cast _Lumos, Nox,_ and hovered a tea mug that I had for him to test with on the front counter. I asked him what his verdict was.

"Ron, you've surprised me! This wand has _never_ worked so well for me!"

I handed him a can of Polish and replied, "Thanks, Charlie! The polish is a gift from me. _Use it,_ please? That's going to be my wand after you pass your NEWTs, after all. Please promise me you'll take care of it?"

He nodded and said, "Thanks, and I promise."

He and Mum left and Apparated home. I went home via the shop Floo. It was Friday, the seventh of July. Though I didn't know it, it would be mid-September before I returned.


	4. Chapter 4 Parabellum, De Sanguine Emit

**AN-1: A reader posted a review about one scene about two thirds of the way through. While within the bounds for an "M" rated story, it IS disturbing, particularly if you have been unfortunate enough to have dealt with suffering physical abuse as a child. While seeming to be abuse at first, it is actually a PTSD induced "flashback," and the fallout from that. Just the same, if reading unvarnished portrayals of physical child abuse disturbs you, you will want to be ready to scroll down from "+++" to "xxx" in the left margin, and further down to "yyy" if you don't like the near-direct aftermath.**

 **Chapter 4, "Parabellum, De Sanguine Emit" where Ron pays in blood…**

Saturday morning found me working on Muggle History, which I had been getting behind on lately. The eggs and papers went without a hitch, and I had been studying for about an hour, taking notes in a Muggle notebook to make sure I memorized the material. I was sitting nearest the kitchen window to catch what breeze there was.

I was wearing an older t-shirt and swim trunks. It was hot, and I was going to knock-off at around eleven-thirty, when Mum would put sandwiches out for lunch. Luna was coming over after lunch to go swimming with at least Ginny and me.

Dad was out in the garage working on the Anglia. His first pair of trousers and belt of the morning were hanging just outside the back door. They were waiting for Mum to get at a stopping point on supper to figure out if they were still worth trying to clean, since the car battery had spilled past his rubber apron and gotten on his trousers and belt on one side, along with oil, petrol, grease, and who-knew what else. Mum was working on something for supper. Bill and Ginny were doing something in the living room; Percy sat across from me studying Arithmancy. The Twins and Charlie were presumably up in their rooms doing whatever.

Charlie came pounding and thundering down the stairs like a heard of Hippogriffs, like he always did, but with a little more attitude. Had I been paying any attention, that would have been my first warning that trouble had arrived. The first I realized there was a problem was when Charlie, who was normally almost as laid-back as Bill, had picked me up by my t-shirt and was choking me as he held me up off of the ground, after pulling me off of the bench!

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY WAND, YOU LITTLE WANKER! You _knew_ that I needed to start studying for sixth year, and you broke it!"

I hit him with a wandless 'hold-break' spell to free myself before he finished his mini-rant and gave him back his attitude, with interest!

"FUCK OFF, ARSEHOLE! I SPENT ALL WEEK FIXING THAT DAMNED WAND AFTER YOU TRASHED IT OUT! IF ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH IT, IT'S BECAUSE YOU BROKE IT!"

Mum was speechless, judging by the silence. Not that I was paying any attention. Ginny and Bill came in from the living room, and the Twins came down from their room. Percy was trying to make room for Bill. The one time Percy and Charlie actually _fought,_ Mum grounded Charlie for a week longer than it took for Percy to get better. Mum grounded Charlie for a month, and the fight had barely gone on a quarter-minute before Bill and Dad had pulled them apart.

The wand in question was deep in Charlie's right front trouser pocket of his rather snug jeans, which was already pissing me off even more. I snatched it from his pocket with my left hand, and examined it without taking my eyes off of Charlie or lowering my right hand, which was poised to cast something that would be a little bit more _persuasive_ than a banisher.

Weasley temper on _fire,_ I described what I was looking at without looking away from my furious brother. "It's a _wand, Chuckles, not a chew toy!_ Did Mum forget to feed you your kibble this morning? Are you a secret dog Animagus?" Actually, if it carried over, _I_ was a secret dog Animagus from my second lifetime, but I had no urge to chew my wand then or now.

The wand didn't feel broken, though; it felt _relieved._ Go figure.

I cast the 'spark-shower," and got a full thick bunch of sparks, which had Bill wondering why the hell Charlie was blowing up. The _Lumos,_ despite my _not_ losing control and using regular power was instant and dazzling, even in daylight. _Nox_ was instant return to normal daylight. I silently cast the _Avis_ spell with basically no power at all. But I still got eighteen birds. They were all _Angry Birds,_ and they all went after Charlie!

I was able to banish them before any of them really got to him, but he still had more than a few scratches on his arms before I banished them away. I still remembered Hermione setting the damned birds on me in sixth year. I was not even remotely angry enough to set birds on my own family, remembering my own experience.

"SEE!" I shouted. "Nothing's wrong with the _wand._ Perhaps it's the _wizard_ who is causing the problem?"

Charlie snatched the wand out of my left hand and attempted to cast a spell at me. I shielded with my right hand, but there was no spell from the front.

The wand _itself,_ though, had other thoughts, and blew a hole through his right hand _from the handle end!_ Wisely, Charlie dropped the wand on the kitchen table, which by now had come between us with my back to the rest of the Kitchen, Mum, and the back door. As things turned out, that was a _big_ mistake!

Seeing Charlie not just punched, but having a hole punched _through_ his hand, was apparently a little bit more than Mum was willing to take. I suddenly found myself under a Full Body-Bind, naked, leaned against the kitchen table at a forty-five degree angle, with Mum beating my arse like a cheap drum with whatever she had found! Unless, of course, she actually _had_ conjured a cat-o'-nine-tails. Whatever it was, it was ripping skin and burned like the Cruciatus! I was of course crying and screaming as all six of my siblings watched on in horrified confusion. The last thing I remember before passing out was the combination of Dad screaming, "MOLLY," and the roar of what sounded like a lion.

§§§

I came-to in what felt like a hospital. At first, I thought I had been hit on a raid back in my second lifetime. Then, as I recognized it as me being wrong-way on the bed as well as face-down, I recognized it as the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, and was trying to think if this was another one of Granger's attacks.

I finished catching back up to 1989, round three, and saw Dad, Master Garrick, the owner of Magical Menagerie, Alastor Moody and Headmaster Dumbledore sitting at what would normally be the foot of the bed, but where my head was pointing. My arms were crossed at the wrist but not restrained, and I was wearing an Auror Holster with wand on my right forearm. Lucky Boy was stretched full-length against the left side of my body, and was breathing, if troubled. He was unconscious.

I raised my Occlumency Shields, which had fallen, while I quickly regained full use of my senses. I could feel that someone placed a strong numbing charm on my backside. I wiggled my toes on both feet, I could feel them wiggle and rub against the sheets. Before I could move anything else, Headmaster Dumbledore spoke.

"Mr. Weasley, please don't move anything else. Madam Pomfrey assured me that there was no motor nerve damage and that other than some scaring, that you will make a full recovery.

"Your Wand-Crafting Master has asked me not to use any Legilimency on you at all. Up to now, I've honoured his request, since we were in the same year here at Hogwarts as students. Unless you give me far greater cause than you already have, I see no reason to not continue to honour that.

"I've viewed Pensieve memories…"

I cut the Headmaster off, asking, "What day and time is it? How long have I been out? How is Charlie? What the hell was Mum getting up to attacking me like that? Why is Lucky Boy in almost as rough a shape as I am?"

"Fair enough" Dumbledore answered. "It is now the evening of Tuesday, the eleventh of July, half-seven to be precise. You've been here just over three days. Your brother Charlie was healed well before one o'clock Saturday afternoon. Percival and the Twins have kept up your 'outside pursuits' in town, to keep people from worrying needlessly."

"As I was saying, what happened in your kitchen eating area last Saturday was more the fault of your older brother Charles, and your mother's over-reaction than anything else.

"Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey is a fully qualified and very competent Healer. Were this not so, Charles and you both would have needed to go to St. Mungo's for treatment. This would have seen your father lose his job, your mother jailed, and would have likely seen you in serious trouble as well.

"First, I need to ask. Did you cast, or even _think_ to cast a piercing charm at your brother's hand?"

Easy enough. "No. The _wand_ cast that entirely on its own. Weasleys and Prewetts don't remote-cast. The one family where that trait _has_ shown up hasn't intermarried with either the Weasleys or Prewetts as far as I know. But how does a wand handle-cast? I didn't know it was possible?"

Moody chimed in, "I pinned your holster, boy! Do you know what that means?"

"That you are my trainer and supervisor, and that I passed Basic and Probation?"

Moody answered, "Aye, it _could_ mean that. But I know your Master _couldn't_ teach you that! Your father learned it just now, and I trust Albus with bigger fish than that. But, how do _you_ know? How did you manage to not only blood-bind a wand, but also convince it that you were a REAL Field Auror, and how did you know the spell to cast on it? Your Master doesn't know it, and doesn't want to! Why do YOU know?"

Without thinking, I answered, "It's _seven spells!_ I must have cast them without thinking some time. But, it _wasn't my wand! It never chose me!_ You can't cast those spells on a wand unless it's already chosen you and let you cast a fair few spells on top of that! You know…"

At this point, I realized that I had slipped into talking to the 'second Moody,' who had personally taught me the spells that most 'modern' Aurors didn't even know existed; rather than the ' _third_ Moody,' whom I have only just met.

Master Garrick said forcefully, "I have _already told you._ Apprentice Weasley has his secrets, and has the right to them. He has told them to me in confidence. I will not break that confidence, and I advise him to _not_ share his secrets with you, at least not any time soon."

"But you don't accidentally _blood-bind a wand!_ _I know this!"_ Moody insisted.

Master Garrick answered, "A _Field Auror_ can not, but a _wand-crafter_ can! My apprentice will tell me now how he did it, and how both he and I missed it."

Gee, thanks, Master Garrick! The only time that _my blood…_ and… oh, shite!

"Master Garrick, I contaminated the first draft of 'tired wand potion' when I cut my hand working the Hawthorne blank. It really doesn't take that much blood, but without reading my memory in a pensive, we won't know just how much blood I fed it. That blood went straight to the core, and the wand was bound to me, _alone,_ from then on! Neither of us would have caught it because the wand drained the pitcher _dry,_ and every last drop was already in the core of the wand, where it will never be seen again."

"And, Apprentice Weasley, did you in fact frequently borrow this wand for your Auror self-training, including casting offensive spells before you reconditioned it?"

"Yes, that's how I knew that the wand worked best for me. Charlie was always careless with the wand, once he started using it."

Dad added, "That was originally my Dad's wand. Dad was a Hit Wizard during the war. He enlisted right after leaving Hogwarts, and mustered out in '46."

"But, what happened to Lucky Boy?" I asked. "And what happened to _Mum?_ Does she no longer _want_ me..."

"Son, she's had a nervous breakdown. Not a horrible one, mind, but not that _any_ are good, either. _We almost lost you!_

"Do you remember how your Uncles Fabian and Gideon died?" he asked.

Due to my studies, I was sadly all too aware. "They were crucified outside of the flat you and Mum had when you were repairing the Burrow from spell damage, right before Mum had me. They had been _Silencio'ed,_ crucified, and held under the Cruciatus Curse until they died. It was Mum who took them down, with the blood weeping from the holes in the palms of… their… hands…" Sadly, I was even _more_ aware now.

"Yes, son; she had what is called a 'flashback.' Do you know what those are?"

I answered, "Yes, Dad. I'm sorry…" I started to cry. I _knew_ that she loved all of us kids. If I had _died at her hand…_

"It's Charlie that will be sorry more than you, I'm thinking" Dad replied.

He turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Albus, I'm not Molly. Is Ron being honest here?"

The Headmaster answered, "Yes, Arthur. You would see this yourself if it wasn't your son who almost died, and your wife who is just out of peril."

The Headmaster asked me, "You are aware that pure-blooded Kneazles are class three-x dangerous magical creatures, and Korat Kneazles are class four-x, are you not, Ronald?"

"Yes, but I've never been attacked, and he's never raised a paw to _anyone_ I've ever seen. He's even friendly to _Muggles._ Other than doing things I've never heard of a Kneazle _or_ familiar do, he's harmless!"

The Headmaster answered me, "It took William and Arthur _both_ to restrain him enough so that _Percy_ could Floo me! I had to personally stun your familiar to get him knocked out, while your father, William, Percy, and both of your twin brothers cast in concert."

Lucky Boy started to come around. I reached down, and touched him. I spoke, so that everyone else heard me, "It was all a misunderstanding. They didn't mean to hurt me. Please don't attack or bear grudges."

"Mew." I hadn't heard that since he almost filled the palms of my four-year-old hands. He was nineteen pounds, now.

The Magical Menagerie shop owner spoke up next. "I'm also an animal healer. I can heal whatever injuries he is suffering, if you ask him to let me."

"Mew?"

"Yes, Lucky Boy. I let your Ronald take you home and be your human when you were really little.

"Mew." I felt uncertain consent through our bond.

"Will it hurt him before it heals him?" I ask.

"I'll warn him and you if I think it might. I might hurt him without meaning to, though." he replied.

"Will you let him help you?" I asked my familiar.

"Mew." He consented reluctantly. I could also feel him drawing my pain into him. I reversed the 'flow.' My eyes watered and sweat beaded on my forehead as I did so.

"He has sprained ribs. I don't feel any other pain. Lucky Boy, you're still hurt. It's just 'my turn' to help you like you were helping me."

"Mew."

The Menagerie owner did a quick veterinary scan, and cast a healing charm on Lucky Boy's chest. I could instantly feel the relief, though I did not let him start drawing my pain into him again.

The Menagerie owner said, "It was as you said. The healing charm I cast should do the trick. I'll send a feline pain relief draught through the Floo when I get back to my shop."

He then asked, "Headmaster, is this all I'm needed here for? And how much of this will I need you to Obliviate?"

The Headmaster waived his wand quickly over the Menagerie owner's head. He said, "All done, Tyus. We'll call if Lucky Boy has any further problems, bit I don't foresee that being the case. Remember to pass the feline pain relief potion through to Madam Pomfrey before you go home."

With that, 'Tyus" left my sight, and soon left the Hospital Wing altogether. This left Dad, the Headmaster, Master Garrick, and Alastor Moody.

The Headmaster said, "Alastor, Ronald will need to continue to carry that wand from here on, with the holster that Garrick supplied, and you helped put on him. Provided that Ronald is _responsible,_ do you foresee any difficulties that we cannot _quietly_ solve?"

"No, Albus" he answered.

He turned to me and said, "Kid, the Headmaster and I are going out on a limb for you letting you carry a wand in a holster that civilians are not supposed to own. First off, _no short sleeves_ on the Alley or in Hogsmeade when you are wearing that rig, which basically means _always._ If you know what an Auror's Rig is, and how to use it, you should realize _why._ "

I replied, "Will this be _legal?_ I get the idea of not rubbing people's faces in it, believe me, I do. But what about elsewhere, where I'm _not_ particularly likely to run into an Auror who would recognize the particular glamour the holster has. Kids my age _don't do_ long sleeves in the summer."

"It'll be legal alright, right until the first time you waive that rig under Lucius Malfoy's nose or do something truly stupid with that wand. Blood-bound wands can't take a Trace, either. If you're caught doing something really stupid with it, the trace-free part will be legal, but whatever else you do will come down on your head like a ton of bricks!

"So, no stupid stuff _anywhere,_ no short sleeves on the Alley, no short sleeves in Hogsmeade, and no 'showing off' at Hogwarts. Some civilian holsters do some of the same tricks. However, if you put on a show, you will have at least _one_ student catch on, and bring the political fires of Hell down on _all_ of our heads! Got it?" Moody asked in conclusion.

"Got it, Auror Moody."

I then asked, "When will I be recovered from this? When will I be able to go back to work?"

Professor Dumbledore answered, "It will be at least another two weeks after this, Ronald."

Dad said, "The eggs, papers, and lawns will be taken care of."

Master Garrick said, "We have all seen the Pensieve memory from Mr. Percival Weasley. Does anyone blame Ronald?"

Everyone murmured 'no,' including Dad. Dad _did_ have a question or two, though.

"Ron, what was the bit about Charlie biting his wand?"

"Minus me getting mad at being choked and held in the air by my shirt, it was just what I'd said. The wand looked like the day Grandfather Septimus bought it when I handed it over to Charlie Friday afternoon. He had already had it beat up and nicked up again, including having _chewed on it again,_ and hadn't even had it a full day. I'll have to refinish it and remove the dent and bite marks _again._ "

Master Garrick asked, "Why do you think the wand quit working for your brother, Apprentice?"

I answered, "Honestly? My first guess would be that the wand _rejected_ him. I could have told him much nicer on Saturday, mind, but he had already beat the wand up _again_ after being both told, begged, and asked to promise _not_ to. He broke his word, and the wand had had enough.

"Thinking on it now, I think that the wand was _fighting back_ when he snatched it roughly from my hand. If I had handed it to him, I don't think that it wouldn't have hexed him at all. I don't think it would have worked, either.

"When I returned it to him Friday, he had to wave it _three times_ before it yielded sparks, and he's been using it for almost six years. That suggests to me that Charlie was already on thin ice with the wand. But, if he hadn't trashed the wand like he did, the wand's reluctance would have passed."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then, Dad said, "Headmaster. It seems that Charlie will be coming to school without a wand. He _will fail all in-class practical exams, with no make-up,_ until I can afford the replacement."

I added, "Dad, you need to make sure that Charlie does not do or use _any_ magic for at least a solid month, or he might not get _any_ wand to choose him! I'm not trying to 'pile on,' and I'm not lying. He can't ride a broom. He won't be able to help with the eggs, newspaper route, or the lawns unless he can do it without the charmed stuff I've been using. He can't de-Gnome the garden, and he can't even work the lights anywhere in the house. He needs to steer clear of as much magic as he can until at _least_ mid-September to have a reasonable chance to have another wand choose him!

"And he can forget about any of the wands at home. I'd bet that he's already tried and been rejected by every wand in the house that he could lay his hands on."

Master Garrick added, "It is just so, Mr. Weasley. To get a wand to actually _reject_ a wizard when it had previously accepted them takes _much more_ than a single act, and can leave a mark on the magical core of a witch or wizard as well. He actually has to have _genuine remorse_ for damaging the previous wand, and a _genuine desire_ to not damage another, should it choose him. It is the _wand_ that chooses the _wizard,_ after all.

"I am aware of at least one wizard, who had his wand _snapped._ Yet since it was not of his will or negligence, the _pieces_ still work for him, and were his circumstances to change, he could easily obtain the loyalty of another.

"Even the Dark Arts, no matter how evil, will not turn a wand against you, sad as the world is for that fact. But, if you _insist_ on _harming your own wand,_ no wand will follow you."

Madam Pomfrey walked into her ward then, and said, "You need to let young Mr. Weasley rest again."

I asked, "Ma'am, who are you?" to avoid 'recognizing' her without being introduced.

She answered, "I am Healer Poppy Pomfrey, young man. This is _my_ Hospital Ward."

"And I thank you for taking care of me. Before I can rest, I need to use the loo and have something to eat. But before that, I need to have some more questions answered. How is my Mum? When will she be able to visit me, or me her? When will I be able to get out of here? Will I still need to convalesce after that?

"I have a lot of work and study to accomplish, which I will not be able to do while trapped face-down in a hospital bed. I also have further questions for the men visiting me, and will not be able to rest properly until they are answered."

She replied, "Young Mr. Weasley, you will be on banishing pads for the rest of the month. I have to grow back the skin on your backside from the muscle up. While we do a much better job than the Muggles do at that, you will be here for the rest of this month.

"Because of your circumstances, I will _not_ be releasing you until you are fully healed..."

Dad interrupted, "If I may interrupt, Madam Pomfrey. Headmaster, Charlie will not be arriving at Hogwarts _at all_ until Ron is completely recovered and able to work. I would ask that he be allowed to make up his homework, but it's on his head if his professors refuse to allow him to do so."

The Headmaster replied, "I believe that if approached respectfully once Charlie returns, that they will allow him to make up his written assignments, seeing that he will be obliged to perform a fair amount of Muggle work using Muggle methods and Muggle tools without any magic on them."

Dad nodded in thanks and said, "Madam Pomfrey, if you would please carry on from where I interrupted you?"

She nodded, and continued. "As I was saying, you will not be released until you are fully and completely healed. I'm more aware of the Muggle world than some, so I have some idea of the effort involved in riding a bicycle at speed, and constantly getting on and off of it.

"You _should_ be able to resume your delivery service when I release you. I would caution you to not engage in vigorous exercise beyond that other than swimming for at least another month. When the weather turns colder this year, you will also need to do your exercises that involve your being on your bum _indoors_ and on your bed until December. You will also need to come back if you have _any_ pain, numbness, or loss of sensation."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey. When will I be able to have solid food?"

"Not until the end of the week at the earliest, and if I let you have some, you would be cursing me to eternity about eighteen hours later. You may have pumpkin juice, and a fruit or chocolate milkshake three times per day. After your visitors leave, I'll need you to drink some potions. I've been spelling them into you to now, which is not easy on your system. After the potions, I'll have a strawberry milkshake for you to drink."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Where is Mum?"

"They told you about her, did they?" Madam Pomfrey asked, growing _much colder_ as she did so.

"Madam Pomfrey, she had a _flashback_. It wasn't _her_ fault, it wasn't _my_ fault, and Charlie was just being a moron, not trying to actually hospitalize anyone. _Where is Mum? When can I see her without doing her harm? Does she still love me…"_

Madam Pomfrey's eyes were flashing in anger. Headmaster Dumbledore cut her off.

"Poppy, you have reported this incident directly to the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. If there are any difficulties in how I filed that report, they are mine _alone._ I was _not_ looking for a job when they stuck me with that one in '47. I am _tenured_ as a Professor of Transfiguration. If Minerva and I are obliged to switch jobs and quarters, well, I have too much stuff anyway, and need to put my possessions on a 'diet.'"

He told me, "Ronald, your Mum is heavily sedated. While I have my guesses as to _why_ you are so calm for your age, they are _only_ guesses, and don't cast you in an ill light. Do you know what kind of boggart she sees?"

I answered, "Yes, Headmaster, which is why I want to see her! She needs to _know_ that I am _alive_ and that I still _love_ her, even if…"

"Ronnie? Ronnie!" Ok, I didn't want to see her this very instant, where she would see the physical damage she had done…

As she approached, I said, "Mum, _please stop._ Be honest with yourself as well as me. If you already see me, come and stand beside Dad. If not, face _away_ from my voice, and for the love of Merlin, _don't look!_

"I know that you had a flashback of Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon. If you see me like this, you might have different flashback. I forgive you, and I love you, Mum! I will _always_ love you! Please forgive me…"

I lost my voice as she stood before me. She was recognizable, but heavily swathed in bandages. I guess that Lucky Boy was doing just a _bit_ more than lion imitations.

Speak of the Kneazle, and he will come. Or, he will stand up and head-but your Mum, who is utterly _terrified_ of him, but refuses to even raise a hand in her own defence.

In less time than it took you to read this, the bandages were vanished. At least, she was wearing her panties. If I were not a Weasley, or if I _were_ a Carrow, I would have appreciated the sight. Once I noticed that whatever wounds the bandages were covering before being vanished were no longer there, I tightly closed my eyes and turned away.

I asked, "Can someone give Mum a gown, or sheet, or _something?_ " I felt the faintest brush against my forehead, like the wings of a hummingbird.

A few moments later, and Dad said, "It's ok, you can open your eyes."

I did, and Mum was at least in a bathrobe. I told her, "Don't worry, Mummy. Daddy's here and he will fix it! He always does..."

The emotions started to run high again, but Madam Pomfrey had already cast a sleeping spell on me after deciding one more 'spelling-in' potions round more or less wouldn't cause me any extra problems, and help her to clear out her ward.

§§§

Dad stopped by most afternoons after work. Mum went home on the afternoon of the twelfth, after visiting with me for a while. She was far more shaken than she was the previous night, and wasn't sure she had the right to be called my mother. I assured her otherwise. Things _weren't_ better, but they would get there eventually.

She came by on the afternoon of the fourteenth, along with Pandora Lovegood and Dad. Pandora also brought something I hadn't had in a lifetime – tuna sashimi!

In my first lifetime, Harry and I were working a stakeout in the Muggle "little Tokyo" neighbourhood of London. There was a Sushi Shop located so conveniently that we were actually obliged to try the place. It was the most convenient place from which to watch our target, and we had to buy _something_ to not upset the owner of the shop... We quickly learned the joys of chopsticks, sake, wasabi, pickled ginger, that famous Japanese dish from the quaint Japanese Village of Los Angeles called the "California Roll," sushi dishes that actually came from Japan, and tuna sashimi. We dared each other to try the stuff, and discovered that it was actually _good,_ once you got over the whole idea of eating raw fish. And, it was even _better_ when you were sober!

So, Pandora brought in a nice plate of tuna sashimi. I greeted her, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Lovegood, Mum, Dad! Did you bring any chopsticks?"

Pandora was actually shocked. She hesitated a moment before saying, "I brought the raw tuna for Lucky Boy, not you."

I said, "I hope he doesn't mind sharing?"

She replied, "This tuna was supposedly swimming off of Tokyo Bay last night, so, it's 'fresh.' I didn't know you ate raw fish?"

"The treat is even more rare for me than the fish, which is raw. But, it's good. Japanese Muggles live almost as long as we magicals do, and they eat that fish!"

Bemused, she said, "I didn't bring the wasabi and ginger, since I didn't expect Lucky Boy to like it, or for you to eat the fish at all." She conjured a fork, handed me the plate, and I enjoyed a few morsels. But, I gave Lucky Boy the 'bigger half,' which was more like three quarters. He enjoyed it at least as much as I did.

We all visited for several hours, and Lucky Boy was in a particularly pleasant mood. Considering that I was still stuck face-down in a hospital bed, we all had a great time. Mum was still nervous and stressed-out, but was far better than she was Tuesday evening.

Mum left with Pandora, leaving Dad and me alone. He cut to the chase. "Ron, once you get out of the hospital, your Mum and you are going to see a mind healer."

I asked, "Is the Ministry paying for this?"

He relaxed slightly when I asked that. I think that he might have expected an argument from me about seeing the mind healer. Were I actually a nine-year-old, I might have objected. But with my actual perspective, I realized that _I_ would need help, above and beyond being there to help Mum get over the incident. I would also need help in forgiving Charlie. While he was being a gold-plated arsehole, I knew he did _not_ intend for things to happen the way they did.

Dad answered my question. "Yes, they are. We are playing this off as your Mum having had an accident, aggravated by 'female problems.'" That was actually a fairly good cover story. Not even Minister Millicent Bagnold wished to know about another woman's 'female problems.'

"How are things going to work with Charlie getting a new wand?" I asked.

He answered, "We've been doing better these last few years. I've received better than expected pay rises, and our overtime requests have also been routinely approved. While Charlie _will_ wait, the new wand purchase won't be the disaster it could have been."

"How are my businesses going?"

"Percy and the twins are supervising, while Charlie does the work without any magic or your bike. I haven't seen those three get along so well before."

"So long as the four of them don't mess things up. Will Charlie need to see the mind healer as well?"

"He and your Mum already are."

"Is it starting to work for them, Dad?"

"Maybe. The whole lot of us are hotheads. We know it, and we adjust. But your Mum hasn't found all the pieces yet, much less started putting them back together. And Charlie is still trying to blame you, even though the only thing you did is lose your temper after being dragged over the kitchen table."

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll fix this. I've forgiven Mum almost as soon as I finally woke up. I'll forgive the a… _Charlie_ sooner rather than later. But the jerk _still_ owes me 18 galleons for the wand refurbishing, plus ten galleons per day for each day I miss at the shop until I can go back to work."

"You make _ten galleons per day as an apprentice?_ "

"Yes, Dad, if I work a normal five hour day. Minimum wage is one galleon per hour. If I were of age, I'd be making three galleons per hour, and a journeyman no matter the age makes six galleons per hour. Haven't you seen my vault statements?"

"I never paid attention. Your Mum and I got you started at eight sickles per hour, and thought that we were still taking advantage."

"Dad, once Master Garrick figured out that there was more to me than 'sweep-up and story-time,' he bumped me up to minimum wage on the spot, which was the start of my second week there. Once I was actually good enough, he raised me to two galleons, because I'm actually _working._

"Making most new wands is relatively straightforward. The way Master Garrick runs the shop, he keeps a fairly large inventory, but it's not like the wands go bad in their boxes. Since wand-crafters and wand-crafting wages are exempt from all taxes, we get by.

"The reconditioning jobs are better money-makers, once you actually learn how to figure out what the wand actually needs, since the work that is required by one wand may well destroy another. The biggest time-consuming part of the job of either new wands or refurbishing is waiting for the sealing glues and linseed oil to cure, since we can't speed it up with magic without ruining the core. Master Garrick has a 'trick' for 'rush-jobs,' but the customer normally pays a _huge_ premium for that. By the way, Master Garrick used the 'trick' for both Percy's and what I guess is _my_ wand now, and there hasn't been an issue."

"Has that wand acted up, Ron?" Dad asked,

"No, Dad. Let me check it." I snapped my wrist, placing the wand in my right hand. It gave me a beautiful fountain of sparks. I levitated the chair Mum had been sitting on six inches off of the floor, and moved it to my right as far as I could see, which was about twenty feet. I brought the chair back and set it down exactly where it belonged. I holstered my wand and looked at Dad, who was now as white as a sheet.

"Dad, what's wrong?" I asked.

He replied, "After Lucky Boy, that wand was the most dangerous thing in the house. It tried cursing _everyone_ who got near it, _or you_. Dumbledore was able to cast a shield to surround it, but he said that if he had tried to banish it, it would have blown up, taking the house, the chicken coop, and the shed out with it, along with everything and _everyone_ in them.

"Dumbledore was able to get both Mr. Ollivander and Auror Moody out to The Burrow in less than two minutes, while keeping the wand from hurting anyone, though it was a near-run thing, and later Saturday night, it took him and me a half-hour to set the house back to rights.

"Mr. Ollivander came by with the holster, and got it onto your arm. Moody did something to the holster to make it flash, and was able to get the wand holstered with a _lot_ of help from Dumbledore and Ollivander. We couldn't really move you until we got that done, and we _couldn't_ remove the holster without the wand going nuts!

"You stopped breathing the first time about a minute after we got the holster on you. Moody and Dumbledore got you breathing after about a minute and a half. You went into complete cardiac arrest while in the Floo between The Burrow and the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had to work on you for almost three minutes to get you going again. You stopped breathing three more times and had two more bouts of cardiac arrest between Saturday afternoon and Sunday night. If you had gone again, we would have had to take you to St. Mungo's, and they might not have been able to do anything.

"Madam Pomfrey said that she checked, and there was no lasting damage to your heart, but that that was in itself a minor miracle.

"Madam Pomfrey is a healer at Hogwarts because she _wants_ to be. The Board of Governors could not hire a replacement of her calibre even at _double_ her wages. She's better than many and the equal to most of the rest, and _we still almost lost you… you aren't even ten, yet…"_

"Please don't cry, Daddy! I can't get up to hug you…"

Dad stopped crying long enough to kiss my forehead and tousle my hair before he left for the evening. The milkshake Madam Pomfrey gave me later to remove the taste of the potions from my mouth was Strawberry-Banana. Having been unable to comfort Dad, it only tasted of sorrow.

§§§

July 28th of 1989 was a Friday. Barring any complications, I would be done with my potions course on the 29th, and actually be able to use the commode. If things continued progressing well enough, I'd be getting out on Harry's birthday, which was the following Monday.

Mum brought all of my brothers, and Ginny, which I didn't think was that good of an idea. I didn't trust the Twins to not pull a prank, Ginny not to laugh at my laying starkers, uncovered, and face-down pointed the wrong way on the bed, and I didn't trust Charlie full stop. Charlie also shouldn't have travelled to Hogwarts at all, since he was supposed to be avoiding as much magic as possible, so that he might actually _get_ a wand sometime this year.

Fred, George, and Ginny pleasantly surprised me. All three were trying to cheer me up without 'forcing' it and not a prank or laugh at my expense was to be had.

Bill was also great to have over for a visit. He hadn't been by because as it turns out, he got almost as good as he gave dealing with Lucky Boy, and was also a "guest" of Madam Pomfrey Saturday afternoon. He was lucky in that Gringotts gave him the week off to convalesce without firing him, but he had to spend most of that time resting, and reading written materials for his curse-breaker training.

Percy was somewhere between snow-white and ash grey. I was wondering if he was going to keel over and give me a 'roomie' for my last weekend of pre-first-year. If I got that reaction from him after I had mostly healed, I can only imagine what his reaction would have been when I first woke up.

Mum _still_ hadn't found all the pieces. But she _was_ looking. What pieces she didn't find in the next three days I would help her find. In the end, it truly _was_ an accident, and she was blaming herself far more harshly than I could even dream of doing. I didn't blame her at all. Even Charlie, who I _did_ blame, was not being nefarious, only careless and rather stupid. For that matter, if I hadn't lost _my_ temper, Mum probably wouldn't have reacted quite the way she did.

Garrick had visited two days prior with an interesting bit of wand-lore that many people failed to remember; and that most people wouldn't associate with me, since little Ignatius was all but unknown. It seems that if a witch used the blood of her seventh son, with all sons being wizards as a wand core with a body of _anything,_ she would have a wand almost the equal of the Elder Wand. It's a good thing that the Prewetts tended to 'play with their prey,' otherwise I wouldn't be here.

Charlie was an arsehole! He lurked and sulked in the corner. Occasionally, just to make sure that I knew that he thought I had it coming, he would glare or sneer in my general direction. He seriously needs to get his priorities straight.

Thinking back to 'first-Harry's' sixth year potions text, I began to wonder if the ' _Sectumsempra"_ curse would only remove _half_ of Charlie's blood, since it was created by the "Half-Blood Prince." My wand thrummed eagerly in anticipation of helping me find the answer.

Lucky Boy, who was reconciled with Bill and enjoying having his ears rubbed started to tense. I stopped him through the bond, and told him to relax. Charlie was _really_ pissing Lucky Boy off, but he _did_ love it so when Bill sat with him and petted him.

I also figured that unlike the Arsehole, I would at least _try_ to be friendly, or at least _civil._ I would at least _try_ to let Mum start to heal before breaking her heart again.

"How have you been doing, Charlie?" I asked civilly.

"Kiss my arse, wanker!" was his brilliant reply.

It was also his very ill advised reply, since Mum was quite obviously in the room, and Bill seemed to be rather unhappy, too.

Mum banished his clothing and shoes, and slapped him across the face so hard that he fell to the floor! She grabbed him by the hair and dragged him to my bed. _Everyone_ got the hell out of her way. I hoped that if her anger started swinging around, that someone would stop her before she turned her anger to _me!_

"Him kiss _your_ arse? Wrong answer! YOU will kiss HIS ARSE!

"I got the most beautiful Valentine's day present in 1980. Do you know what that was? WELL?

"Antonin Dolohov and his friends had crucified your Uncle Gideon and your Uncle Fabian to the second-story wall facing the flat your father and I were living in at the time. They had had their voice boxes _vanished,_ were nailed to the wall with _Muggle railway spikes,_ and had each had both their upper and lower legs broken after being nailed up there like that. _Then,_ _Dolohov_ held them under the Cruciatus curse until THEY FUCKING DIED, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHITE!

"Your father was injured in the battle where they were captured the evening before, and was lucky to escape with his _life_. Even if he _wasn't_ in St. Mungo's, he wasn't very good at the kind of flying you had to do to remove a human body from a wall thirty feet in the air. I was eight months pregnant with Ronnie, and the rest of you kids were with your Aunt Muriel. I damn near miscarried, but no one else was going to remove them to be buried. At that point in the war, the ministry just _banished_ the bodies that were like that where you couldn't get to them. I wasn't having that.

"Do you know what I did? Eight months pregnant and all, I retrieved their bodies by _broomstick_ and brought them into the flat, so that the Ministry would actually allow them a _burial._ Their wands were still on their bodies. Do you _know_ what their hands looked like when I vanished the spikes? DO YOU? They looked _exactly_ like the hole in _your hand_ after you were fucking with something you had _no business fucking with!_

"RONNIE TOLD YOU NOT TO DAMAGE THAT WAND! I WAS THERE! I HEARD HIM TELL YOU, AND YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T! THEN, WHEN YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE, YOU ACTED AS IF IT WAS HIS FAULT THAT THE WAND TURNED ON YOU! YOU PUT ME BACK INTO THAT FUCKING SUBLET COUNCIL FLAT!

She paused from shaking him and screaming in his ear. I prayed that beyond Mum not turning her anger on me, that she didn't actually scare the piss out of him while she had him facing _my_ bed, with me under a partial paralysis charm with my still-healing arse pointed to the ceiling. No one thought she was done for more that a moment to catch her breath, but what she said next was beyond a shock.

"Do you want to know what was _extra special_ about how Dolohov crucified your uncles? He vanished the seats of their trousers, used a pint of Muggle Super Glue for each one, and _glued their arses to the wall! I didn't know for Gideon, and didn't have the time to undo it for Fabian._

"Guess what, you ungrateful shite! RONNIE WAS THERE WITH ME FOR THAT! YOU PUT ME INTO A FLASHBACK TO THAT DAY, AND I THOUGHT I WAS AFTER DOLOHOV! YOUR UNCLE'S ARSES LOOKED JUST LIKE RONNIE'S DID, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT! HE ALMOST DIED THREE TIMES BECAUSE OF YOUR JEALOUS STUPID CARELESS SHITE!

"When you were nine, I couldn't even get you to make your stupid bed! Ronnie makes _his_ bed. Do you know what else he makes? He makes almost half the wages your FATHER makes, PLUS whatever the Muggle money is worth in real money, AT THE AGE OF NINE! HE'S ALSO STUDYING TO TAKE HIS MUGGLE NEWTS BEFORE HE GETS TO HOGWARTS! DO YOU KNOW WHY? DO YOU? IT'S BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE WAR ISN'T OVER! HE HAS SET IT TO HIMSELF TO HELP HARRY POTTER WIN THE DAMNED WAR FOR GOOD EVEN IF IT KILLS HIM! AND YOU CAN'T EVEN APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT YOU DID, OR EVEN SAY SOMETHING NICE THAT YOU DON'T MEAN, AFTER I TOLD YOU TO DO PRECISELY THAT! FUCK OFF AND KISS HIS ARSE! EACH CHEEK AND ARSEHOLE! THEN GET THE FUCK OUT. WE'LL SEND YOU _YOUR_ STUFF WHEN WE GET AROUND TO IT!"

With the last six or seven syllables, she 'piston-punched' Charlie square in the face, or at least the crunching noises strongly suggested that. To Charlie's credit, he didn't utter a sound. To his _debit,_ had the stupid fucker just said, "Life sucks, but you have it worse; sorry, mate," even _not_ meaning it, he would have saved the rest of us a HUGE spot of bother.

None of us Weasleys enjoyed Howlers at school, except for one thing. _If we messed up THAT badly, at least we had the whole of the British Isles to keep us safe until Mum's temper calmed down!_

My arse being gently, if reluctantly kissed, each cheek then the arsehole interrupted that thought. _Why can't I remember the 'multiple floor vanish so I can drop to the dungeons' spell when I desperately need it?_

Charlie ran starkers out of the room into the rest of the castle, and from thence to who only knows where.

Then, perhaps even _more_ surprisingly, my arse was kissed a _second_ time, but this time with genuine love, sorrow, and regret. _Charlie, you arsehole, I just might finish what Mum started for this!_

Before she could say a word, I said, "Mum, if you felt you had to do _that_ to prove that you still love me, I haven't been a very good son. I forgave you the very second I found out what actually happened. I have never sought your humiliation, only ever your love, affection, and guidance.

"Neither one of us is better yet. I won't pretend that we are. I still tense up in fright, knowing that I could never raise a wand to you, though even Voldemort himself and back in the flesh do not frighten me; I will fight him and live, or die. Hopefully well in either case, but that is the way of the world. Yet, I would never raise a hand to you. The person Dad has you talking to will talk to both of us together in the next few days, and however often after that until we _do_ get better. I love you, Mummy, and I know you love me, too."

Mum left in tears via the Floo to the Burrow.

Then, Bill kissed my arse; though thank Merlin on only one cheek. His explanation? "I didn't stop Charlie or Mum. Sorry, Ronnie." I could tell that he _meant_ it, too. You could _always_ rely on Bill!

I answered him, "It wasn't my idea. Go after Charlie. Find some clothes for him, and some place for him to stay for a couple of days. Keep him from doing anything stupid; _sit_ on him if you have to! And please _keep him away from the Burrow_ until Dad sends an _Adfero_ letting you know what to do next, and when you can bring him back home."

In the wizarding world, once your child has taken their OWLs, they _can_ leave home even not being full adults. The parents _can_ also "kick them out." We needed Bill to take care of Charlie while Dad took care of Mum to keep things from getting _really_ pear-shaped.

"What's an _Adfero?_ " Bill asked.

I replied, "It's a talking corporeal _Patronus._ It uses the voice of the caster, and is very difficult to fake. Dad knows it from the first part of the war. His _Patronus_ is a weasel. Pleas go catch Charlie!"

He left after Charlie, and _Percy_ started to walk to my bed. _Enough._

"Arthur Bilius Weasley! Stop right there! You only did what was right when you needed to. You owe me no apology; we have no quarrel, unless _I_ have wronged _you._

"If you feel obliged to kiss me, kiss me on the forehead like a big brother would. Ignatius is watching _both_ of us, Percy."

Percy kissed me on the forehead, as asked. Praise Merlin.

I asked him, "Percy? Please chase after Mum? Dad should be home soon."

He nodded to me, and went to the Floo.

The Twins decided to get in on the act. Each one kissed a cheek. On my face. Thank Merlin.

"Fred? George? Please help Percy calm Mum down, _without taking the Mick on Percy?_ Please?"

They both nodded, and walked to the Floo.

As I was left with only Ginny, I told her, "If you're going to kiss me, kiss me on the cheek."

To prove she was Ginny, she kissed me on the mouth! It was an innocent kiss, at least in 'that' form of innocent.

I then said, "This is a secret between the two of us and Dad. Please don't say anything?"

Rather than take the Mick, she nodded in agreement.

Just to make sure, I released my wand from its holster and used it.

" _Adfero Arthur Weasley_ Never mind how, Dad, it's Ron. Mum and Charlie had a huge blowout in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, and Mum threw Charlie out! I've got Bill sitting on Charlie. I don't think Bill knows the _Adfero_ , so he would have to answer you another way. I've got Percy and the Twins trying to calm Mum down. I'm pretty sure they're at the Burrow. Thanks, Dad! _Adfero._ "

My red terrier barked once in acknowledgement and flew off into the ether.

Pandora and or Luna must have _seen_ something, because they showed up not ten minutes later, brining sushi, tuna sashimi, wasabi, ginger, soy sauce, sake, and Butterbeers. While I wasn't particularly fond of the idea of two eight-year-old girls checking out my still-healing bum, they and Pandora were great company.

Luna flashed me her knickers 'just to make it fair and I pretended to look and be shocked. In reality, Luna trying to flash me under the circumstances, even with Pandora there, _didn't_ shock me, and I actually _did_ manage to look away.

Since neither Pandora nor the girls enjoyed straight sashimi, I shared that with Lucky Boy. We split the sushi between us four humans. I was only able to eat the smallest quantities of the sushi and sashimi to avoid overwhelming the banishing pad on my bum. However, I enjoyed several saucers of hot sake with Pandora, and while all was _not_ right with the world, it was as close as I could get it at that moment.

§§§

yyy

While I got out of the Hospital Wing on Harry's birthday, I didn't get back to work until the 18th of September. While I had healed to the point that I could wear clothing, bathe, and use the commode again, the last part was difficult. Any prolonged pressure on my backside was painful, to the point that I couldn't even sit at the kitchen table to eat. I had either to stand at the counter, or lie on my stomach in the front room.

While I could ride my bicycle, I could not _sit_ while riding it. I was able to deliver the eggs and return without a problem. The first day I attempted to deliver the newspapers, I barely made ten houses before I had to carefully send an _Adfero_ to Bill to come fetch my bicycle and me. That ended my attempting to do any of the work until the 18th of September.

It took me until October before I really started to get my energy back. I couldn't honestly say I had completely recovered until almost December.

I also discovered that between Charlie's forced labour, and Percy and the Twins stepping up, all the Muggle stuff carried on while I was in hospital. After my one attempt, they carried on again until they were all back at Hogwarts. Percy and the Twins _refused_ payment, which was their right, but I still thanked them.

Charlie never was quite kicked out. Bill managed to smuggle him to a friend's house until Sunday morning, when Dad went and fetched them after getting Mum calmed down.

The mind-healer that the Ministry paid for was named Aubrey Dean. She helped us, or at least as much as three hotheads would allow. Charlie and I were at least civil to each other, though he _still_ didn't 'get' what he did wrong, at least then.

It took Charlie watching Percy and Dad's Pensieve memories of the incident and the aftermath shortly after Valentines Day 1990 to finally realize what had happened and that he was almost entirely at fault for the incident, and just how much damage he actually caused. Amazingly enough, out of all the family, only Percy saw the entire incident from beginning to end.

Percy also saw Aubrey Dean several times to help deal with the incident. However, he could never bring himself to see her with the rest of us.

As father had said, Charlie did _not_ ride the Hogwarts Express. Dad told him in no uncertain terms that he _would_ toe the line, and that he _would_ avoid all magic until _after_ he managed to persuade a wand to choose him again. I was able to start my Muggle jobs again on the 18th of September. Charlie was able to get a wand to choose him on the 19th, after about eighty tries, including several that would have otherwise chosen him except that they could feel the 'mark of wand betrayal.' On Wednesday the 20th, Charlie caught the Knight Bus directly to the school while I was delivering the eggs and newspapers.

After Charlie left for school, _Ginny_ mowed the lawns for the rest of the year. I was out of shape, my skin was still healing somewhat, and there was no one else available. That year, we had an early and snowy, but not horribly cold winter.

Charlie did _not_ come home for Christmas Break that year. However, he did manage to get his Christmas shopping done, in spite of having no 'pocket money' from home.

In addition to the Chocolate Frogs that we normally exchanged, Charlie also sent a _second_ package, which arrived on the twenty-first. Hoping to 'avoid the Christmas rush,' and that's one pun that you just can't avoid when writing about rushing something two days before Christmas, I opened the package.

Inside was my eighteen galleons for the wand refurbishment, plus every day of wages I missed from not being able to apprentice with Master Garrick, down to the last Knut. On the twenty-second, I persuaded Master Garrick to allow me to shop the Alley for one more Christmas gift.

Madam Malkins, if you ask the right questions with the right attitude, will sell you actual Muggle clothing. Her prices are also quite reasonable, and she's right there on the Alley.

I asked her how recent her last measurements were for Charlie. They had actually fitted him on 19 September, from the shoes up. So, I had her select a nice ensemble of Levi's clothing, with a pair of their "Dockers' loafers and a pair of trainers, along with a package of socks, underpants, and undershirts. While I had them wrap the gift, I added a short card.

"Mum ditched your old outfit, so here is something new. I hope it fits. Love and Happy Christmas, Ron."

He sent me a thank you card, which I received on Boxing Day.

As for the money, I never have figured out _how_ he got it, only that he didn't steal it or do anything else outright illegal. I think he could have 'faked people out' on how well the Gryffindor Quidditch Team was going to do. Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup that year with no losses, so he wasn't throwing games. He might have played with the spread, which is _much_ easier _and_ harder to prove if you are a seeker, and you are any good. And unless you compared him with Victor Krum or Harry Potter, Charlie Weasley _was that good._

Beyond betting on Quidditch, he could have also earned some of the money from the school through Hagrid. Charlie was always good with the outdoors, and working with magical creatures. Hagrid didn't always have the time to go into the Forbidden Forest to get unicorn tail hairs, and the students didn't always earn a detention on the days when the Thestral Stables needed to be mucked out. Or, he could have borrowed at least some of the money from Bill. He and Charlie were always closest to each other relationship wise, as well as in age.

So, 1989 was an annus horribilis, at least for the late summer and autumn. I still worried impotently about Harry, since I was unable to help him. I hoped that whatever kept 'first-Harry' going would sustain this one as well.


	5. Chapter 5 Parabellum, Institutionem uita

Last edit 13 Aug 2018. Isaias Smith hadn't previously been billed enough to cover Ron's hourly wage.

 **Chapter 5, "Parabellum, Institutionem uitae salvifici" where Ron settles an old debt…**

Celebrating the start of a new year is exciting, no matter your age. It is, however, much less expensive and hangover inducing when you are nine, going on ten. I _did_ have a little alcohol, but it was hot sake, rather than Champagne, and even then, I only shared two tokkuri with Pandora and Dad. Had she not been treating me to sushi, she probably wouldn't have allowed me even that.

But, all was happiness and cheer. The Lovegoods had us Weasleys over for New Years. Xenophilius went on to whomever would listen about his mysterious magical animals (far more of which being real than many realized.) Pandora and Mum compared notes on child rearing and cooking; and amazingly enough, spell creation. Dad amused Ginny, Luna, and me with stories about illegally or improperly enchanted Muggle items, or Muggle items that were lawfully enchanted, but had "escaped" wizarding custody and made it _back_ to the Muggles before the enchantments were removed, with often humorous consequences. A claw-foot self-bubble-bathing tub made it all the way from Weymouth to Winchester on clawed feet before anyone realized that it had "escaped."

I also learned why the UK banned Magic Carpets. Prior to World War II, they were actually perfectly legal. The trouble was, unlike with a broom that actually requires a wizard or witch to fly, and not even a Squib could fly them; Magic Carpets even work for _Muggles._

While both the Wizengamot and the Muggle government could deal with the Baronet who took his family routinely between Bramley and Brixton on his 24 foot Tabriz, the scatter-brained Air Raid Warden with the sawed-off scatter gun who became the first Aerial Ace of World War II over the skies of London without benefit of an aeroplane was just a little too much. The Ministry instantly banned all new importations, and all "grandfathered" rugs were removed from the UK no later than 1953.

Ginny and Luna took turns trying the various sushi rolls and making faces as they ate each one. I casually ate, and sipped my saucers _sparingly._ I _was_ only nine, after all, and if I _had_ actually 'drank my fill,' I would have been one sad and sick little boy come the morrow! So I savoured what my body and my parent's conscious would allow me to drink, savoured the food, and helped ring in the new year of 1990.

§§§

My first day back at Ollivander's was the third of January, which was a Wednesday. Since returning to work the previous September, I continued doing a range of jobs, from cleaning the shop, to making new wands without any supervision other than having the finished product tested, to evaluation and reconditioning work. I also started learning the laws that governed wand-crafters, and the ins and outs of actually _running_ a wand shop.

Firstly, few countries actually _had_ a native wand-crafting shop. The skill just wasn't that common. Also, not everyone had the skill, desire, and unique magical requirements to do the job.

Secondly, every county subsidized their wand-crafters _somehow,_ without outright nationalizing their shop. In the case of the UK, Master Garrick could file for a "loss-lead" with the Ministry every year, should sales not provide a sufficient income to live and operate on. The shop building was exempt from any and every possible form of taxation. Also, every cent brought in to the shop was free of any taxes of any kind. Any income paid to workers at a wand shop was _also_ tax-free. Finally, though it could be a pain to document so we seldom did so for our own purchases, everything _bought_ by a wand-crafter in the grade of apprentice or above was exempt from all taxes.

There were more "inducements" to enter the Craft, but you actually had to be able to _make and refurbish wands_ to become a wand maker! The next nearest shop to Ollivander's was in Nice. The biggest reason that Maison d' Chapron was in business was that British laws forbid wand sales to "non-humans," regardless of nationality! Thus, if you had any Veela blood, and your family name was _not_ Malfoy, you bought from Chapron. They made a nice wand, and they were the only shop in the _world,_ at least at that time, that would even _think_ of Veela-hair cores. But, our wands were _better,_ so we got more than a fair bit of trade from Western and Central Europe, where we "brushed up" against the "natural" territory of Dom Grigorovich. Ollivapaolo d' Italia in Livorno was also fair competition; they were also distantly related to the Ollivanders. And, with that, I just named EVERY shop that has ever made a wand in Western and Central Europe, ranging as far East as the steppes of far-central Russia.

So, take a craft that very few have the slightest capacity to enter. Add that the product made can last for centuries if cared for, but can break with a _frightening_ ease if not. Add to that that your population won't really _be_ your population without one. Finally throw in that the half-percent of the population that do not need this product likely _does not include you,_ and there you have it.

You _make damned sure_ that this "unique item" is cheap enough for the masses, while also making _damned sure_ that the only people on the face of the earth that can make them for you _feel_ like princes, and never truly _want._ Thus, a nine-year-old apprentice earns wages that are fully half that of his mid-level bureaucrat Dad, who only _seemed_ poor because he couldn't be bought, and insisted on having as many children as his wife wanted to bear.

 _Believe me,_ if Mum wanted _fourteen kids,_ she would have had them. If Ignatius had lived, she would have had _eight,_ and if Ginny's birth had been easier, she might have had more anyway. However, Ginny wasn't the hardiest infant in the ward, and Mum had already lost one. Being told that Ginny, who didn't leave St. Mungo's for a week and a half, was the hardiest child she would have from then on, shut her down with a quickness. No mother wants to bury her children.

I also learned that the Hawthorne blank (remember it? Ferret's wand?) still became a wand. Master Garrick actually performed a purification ritual on the blank, before finishing it; saving the shavings only _after_ the purification ritual. On the 'down' side, I couldn't mess with the Ferret's wand. On the 'up' side, I couldn't mess with the Ferret's wand and trash the reputation of Master Garrick's shop. _That's_ why Master Garrick was Master Garrick, and I only made two galleons per hour, at the ancient age of nine.

January of 1990 was also when I started to first truly _hear_ the _voices._ Yeah, you are probably thinking I went bonkers after having lived three lives, having had my favourite Mum rip the skin off of my arse, _literally,_ with a battery-acid and brass-fanged magic belt using _my own blood_ as a core, rounded up with a generous helping of that Mum _literally_ kissing my arse better in full view of all of her other kids. But no, I was not _losing_ it; I was _gaining_ it!

And no, the "it" wasn't insanity; "it" was actually hearing the voices of the wands. A _true_ wand-crafter can actually "speak," for lack of a better term, to their creations, and occasionally the creations of other wand-crafters. _That_ is the biggest thing that made Master Garrick Master Garrick. He could actually hear the voices of the wands that he crafted and healed – and now _I_ was starting to hear them, too!

But January led to February, and February led to a painful settling of old karmic debts.

§§§

It was Wednesday, February 14th, 1990. The day was crisp, and unusually clear. The temperature as I delivered the eggs and Muggle newspapers was a balmy 1 degree Celsius. I was just digging in to the breakfast Mum made. Lucky Boy at that time insisted on eating food that was sticking out of my mouth. Since _he_ was my familiar… Anyway, whilst dining on a tin of kippers with my familiar, a rasher of streaky bacon, and a dish Mum found in my cooking textbooks called a "Denver Omelette," I had a _feeling._ Pandora Lovegood would either live or die today, depending on what I did before Noon.

The Floo had fired while I was eating. Mum had answered it. Once I had finished my breakfast, Mum had stopped me before I changed into work clothes to go to the shop. She told me, "That was Mr. Ollivander. He said that you must visit with Luna Lovegood today, and would not be expected at the shop. Are you in trouble?"

I answered her question with "Of course not, Mum. Luna, however, _is_ Master Garrick's great great niece, likes me, and _likes_ me. Every great great uncle dotes on his great great niece just a little bit _more,_ on Valentine's Day! Hold that thought!"

Instead of changing from "egg" to "work" clothes, I changed into "play" clothes instead, and got all three heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to take with me. I ran back downstairs, and gave Mum hers.

I said, "I had a feeling that Master Garrick would do this. If he hadn't, I'd have had to have Errol take the other two boxes. Here's a box of chocolates from a boy to his favourite Valentine! Happy Valentine's Day, Mum; and don't forget that white hot chocolate with marshmallows is the perfect gift for White Day for a newly ten-year-old boy!"

She accepted the chocolates, kissed me on the forehead, and tousled my hair. She asked, "Subtle much, Ronnie?"

I answered, "Not really, Mummy. Nine and ten year old boys don't _do_ subtle. I need to go to Luna's. I'll let you know if I'm staying all day when Luna tells me, okay? Bye, Mummy."

Mum kissed me again, and I Floo'ed to the Rookery without a further thought. The look on Mum's face suggested that she at least _suspected_ that something was wrong, but she hadn't a clue what. _I_ wasn't about to tell her.

I came barrelling out of the Floo, barely missing Luna as I tumbled across the floor. I noticed that in this lifetime, I had more problems with the Floo than I had in my two previous lifetimes combined. I supposed that raw magical power combined with physical youth and immaturity were the reasons, since neither Harry or Azalea were able to use the Floo either, without rolling across the floor when they came out.

"Happy Valentines Day, Luna!" I announced as she pounced on and straddled me.

She replied, "And Happy Valentines Day to you too, Ron. But you know I don't eat this much chocolate! Why did you get me _two_ boxes?"

I told her, "I got one for you, and one for your Mum. That way, she won't be mad if you don't share with her."

"And why did you get _Luna_ a _full sized box_ of Chocolate, Ron?" Pandora asked as she walked into the Rookery Kitchen.

"So Luna wouldn't get angry with _you,_ when _you_ wouldn't share, Pandora." Even at nine, that's how she had me address her. So long as I didn't have to call her anything starting with 'the late,' it was fine with me.

Luna let me stand up so I could take off my shoes and socks, and leave them by the kitchen Floo. I picked up the chocolates again and walked with Luna to the kitchen table.

Answering the unspoken (especially in front of Luna) question about getting Luna 'hyped up' on chocolate, I added, "and she wouldn't accuse you of eating it when you don't let her eat it all in one sitting."

Pandora smiled at me, letting me know that I was "off the hook" as it were, for getting such a "large" box of chocolate for Luna. Strangely enough, this wasn't far-off from the 'first time' I saved Pandora. I only hoped that was a _good_ omen.

Pandora was dressed _exactly_ as she had been in her last life, complete with 'little black dress,' and matching flats. Her 'dirty-blond' hair was brushed back in waves, and the dress showed off the 'curves' that Luna just wouldn't quite get when it was _her_ turn.

Luna asked, "Mum, can I have a piece?" referring to her present.

Pandora answered, " _May_ you, and yes. You _may_ have two, but you have to give one to Ron. Then, I will be down in my lab. Behave, and _don't_ try looking for the chocolates!"

Luna answered, "Ok, Mum" with some disappointment in her voice. We sat both boxes of chocolate on the kitchen table. Pandora opened one, had Luna take out two pieces and give me one while she watched, and closed the box back up. We ate them, and then Luna dragged me off!

"Come on, Mum's about to do _boring_ work again." she said as she led me quickly to her bedroom. Since neither of us was at 'that age,' playing together in her room was fine.

"Dad's out again," she said. "He thinks he found a Crumple-Horned Snorkack in Germany, but really, I think he went there because of the breweries. Also, Mum finally got the self-transfiguring vase working!" That was _exactly_ like my second lifetime! Whether a good sign or not, I felt as if an entire _flock_ of geese marched across my grave four-abreast.

Yet still, I asked, "The one that changes colours?" I knew, yet I _still_ had to ask.

She nodded as she led me towards the seating mats, just like last time. She answered, "It can continuously change colour every time you empty and refill it." While still beyond coincidence all things considered, that _was_ what the vase was _supposed_ to do, so if it worked, it _would_ do that.

She grabbed a chess set, just like last time. This somehow, _didn't_ creep me out. In this lifetime, whatever happened in my first lifetime _didn't_ happen, and the Lovegoods and Weasleys were actually routinely sociable with each other. Perhaps it was the 'extra' baby-sitting that started as a 'last-minute' emergency the day we got Lucky Boy?

Mrrow. He greeted us happily, winding past our legs before hopping up on the windowsill to enjoy what sun he could find in Devon in February.

As for the chess, Luna had become quite good at it, beating Ginny roughly three out of four games. _I_ only ever lost to her when I was truly distracted by something, and she also had to be having one of her _better_ games to pull off the win. So, it actually _was_ our 'go-to' game when playing indoors.

I was looking at her necklace, which seemed identical to the 'last time.' She asked, "Like it?"

I nodded and answered, "Yeah. Did you make it by hand?"

She replied, "Yeah. Mum showed me for the first cork, but I got the rest of them by myself."

I asked, "Could you show me how?"

She answered, "Of course, silly! You can't give me a _real_ Butterbeer-cork necklace if you don't know how to make one! But later. It's your move."

She had taken white this time, and had already made he first move. I moved, and she moved again. She asked, after I moved my Queen's side Knight, "So, how's your Dad's Muggle car?"

I answered, "It's coming along great. He has his driving license, and is teaching Mum to drive it, too!"

"I thought that your Mum wasn't too keen on Muggle stuff?"

"She likes it all right; she just isn't as crazy as Dad is about it. Of course Dad works with it every day, and I'm not complaining either."

"You're the only Catchpoler I know of with a bike, so I hope not!" she agreed.

I was still distracted, though, and for the same reason as last time. I had _some_ expectation of what was going to happen, and between my own instinct and Master Garrick's we _both_ knew that today would be 'special' in a 'not so nice' way. However, d _ice have no memory, and life is a crapshoot!"_ The next hour or so would determine whether the Luna Lovegood I knew in 1992 would be 'unbreakable,' or _shattered._ And, even if I _was_ a time-traveller, I _couldn't_ go back and fix this. _I never did this; it was always DONE to me!_

"Are you ok, Ron? You were looking like I was boring you. You _never_ do that to me, even when I _am!_ "

Seeing her concerned face, I answered, "Maybe it's Nargles?"

She giggled and replied, "No, silly. Daddy locked up all the mistletoe before he went to Germany. You know he's been kind of 'funny' about you since you let me look at your bare arse all afternoon and let me show you my knickers, right?" Despite our ages, she was right. Xenophilius would _not_ be letting me play chess with Luna in her bedroom, were he not seeking Snorkacks in all the beer-halls of Germany this morning. Never mind that my arse still hadn't quite healed to point of being attractive, or that I was still too ill to enjoy the show, had I looked. If it had been some boy with _Rose_ flashing him _her_ knickers, I'd be the same way.

"I think I left something downstairs the last time I was over. I'll be quick in checking, okay?"

"Do you have to?" she asked.

I nodded. "I'll be back before the Nargles come back!"

Luna slapped me gently on the shoulder. "Hurry up so we can finish the game. Then we can do some necklaces."

"Sounds good," I said as I stood. Exiting her room, I shouted back, "Don't move any pieces!"

She answered good-naturedly, " _When_ I win, I won't cheat!"

A quick flight down the stairs later, I listened for any unusual sounds, or _silences,_ coming from Pandora's lab. Unlike my second lifetime, I had actually _been_ in her spell-crafting lab. I went at first in case "Plan B," sabotaging Pandora's lab, looked like a more viable option. However, seeing both the lab and Pandora together under non-life-threatening circumstances, I quickly concluded that the only thing "Plan B" would accomplish would be to cause a rift between Pandora and me that would only end in her death. This terrified me because short of moving in with the Lovegoods, I would have to rely on Master Garrick _seeing_ something, my own instincts giving me a warning, or pure dumb luck.

Pure dumb luck was running full strength this morning, after Master Garrick's _sight_ and my instincts together put me in the Rookery in the first place. No sooner had I descended the stairs to Pandora's lab before the wave of _powerful_ magic washed over me. This time, Luna was right behind me.

I turned to her and told her, "Luna, call the Aurors, _now. Please._ Tell them it's an emergency at the Rookery!"

"We'll need the one across from Mum's lab" she replied, as we sprinted on bare feet the rest of the way down to the Lab.

We split ways, with Luna lighting the Floo to get the Aurors, and me grabbing a rune-carving chisel off the wall to disable the array. Except, there _was no array,_ at least not _outside_ of the field that was robbing Pandora of life by the second!

The array was _inside, with Pandora!_ While she had started to disable the rune string, encircling the same rune as last time, her strength had _already_ given out! I tried to go _through_ the surrounding spell, but it was solid, and wouldn't let me through.

Mrrow! was the only warning I received before Lucky Boy dropped me next to Pandora, right in front of the array. Though it actually took less than five seconds for me to finish encircling the array and ending the spell, the time felt like at was an _eternity,_ and I felt noticeably weaker and drained as the spell faded away. I looked at Pandora, and my heart was instantly in my mouth!

She was emaciated, and desiccated looking. It was truly the worst case of magical draining I had ever seen in _three_ lifetimes, and I despaired of seeing her in the realm of the living even one minute from now. I took her hand to try as much to comfort myself as her. Once I had done so, Lucky Boy bit _both_ of our hands, and I felt the magic rush and level as I lost consciousness, with the fuzzy blur of green robes and the screaming of a child the last things I perceived.

§§§

I started to regain consciousness in what felt like a hospital room. I opened my eyes and looked around. This was _not_ the Hogwarts hospital wing. The wing looked something like St. Mungo's, but I couldn't say that I had ever been here before. As I finished regaining my wits, I felt that Lucky Boy was stretched out next to me, still unconscious. For some strange reason I was relieved that I was in a hospital gown, laying face up, and in the normal direction

Xenophilius Lovegood and Dad were sitting next to my bed. I asked, "Are Pandora and Luna all right?"

Xenophilius broke down crying. Dad answered, "Yes. Luna was terrified, but I'm sure she will be fine now. The hospital released Pandora two days ago. She has already completely recovered. The healers say that the 'unconventional' magic transfusion Lucky Boy and you gave her kept her magical core from collapsing. The first-response healers said that she was already beyond their help even if this actually happened in the spell-damage ward of St Mungo's itself. Just the same, your familiar and you need to hold some back for yourselves, if there's ever a 'next time.'"

"How long was I out, Dad?"

"Twenty-eight days. Your Mum was here until just moments ago. She's barely left your side."

Mum returned, holding a decent sized mug. She explained as she sat the mug on the side table and raised me up to drink it, "You said you wanted a 'hot white chocolate with marshmallows.' I hope the house-elves here did a good job, since I didn't have the time to make it."

I needed her help to drink it, since I could still barely lift my arms, and had no chance at all with the mug. It was just cooler than how I normally drank a hot beverage, but it was still pure heaven in a cup. After taking several good swallows, I nodded, and she pulled the mug back.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Eleven fifty-five in the evening" Mum replied. "We've been quiet, so they have let us stay by your side." She started to sob quietly.

I asked, Xenophilius, "Can you show Mum where she might get close to some Nargles, without actually getting into them? Pandora would be mad if you actually got Mum infested, but I think she needs a minute?"

He nodded, and guided Mum out of the room, leaving the chocolate behind.

I asked, "Dad, how bad have they said it is?"

He answered, "They thought for sure that your core had collapsed and ruptured. Frankly, we were on a 'death-watch.' But, when and as you held on, they brought by specialists from the Department of Mysteries. They said after examining you that you didn't have much core damage at all, and that if you did have any that it would heal completely and without scarring. They also talked to Mr. Ollivander for a while, but neither they nor he would tell me what about."

Speak of the devil yet again. A slightly tired looking Master Garrick and Algernon Croaker walked in, with a masked DOM healer. Croaker said, "Good Morning, Mr. Weasley. Your son's Wand-Crafting Master will act 'in-loco-parentis' since he's cleared, and you are not.

"Don't worry about your son. He is not in any trouble, not even for his special item on his right forearm. While my healer will need to confirm the diagnosis, your son should be healing up nicely. My healer will tell you the gist of what he finds after we're done.

"Xenophilius Lovegood isn't having any luck finding Nargles for your wife. You might want to help them. However, please do not wander too far. Once we're done, we'll want to share what is hopefully good news and go home to our beds."

Dad looked furious enough to chew bricks and shit a wall! However, there were Department Heads, and there were _Department Heads._ Algernon Croaker, despite being an utter arse to his great-nephew, was most assuredly one of the latter, and Dad the former.

As Dad stood to leave, Croaker added "and don't ask your son later on! He _won't_ be cleared to tell you." Dad nodded _very_ stiffly, and left the room without a backward glance.

Once the room was empty, and the privacy wards (?!) were activated, the healer started his diagnosis while Croaker talked. Croaker asked, "Why two times?"

I answered, "It wasn't my idea. I was moved without warning, choice, or desire, _both times._ "

He was looking me in the eye as I answered. I didn't bother with Occlumency shields, since Croaker could bypass them and see whatever he wanted before you even realized he was there.

He said, "I believe you, though it astounds me that you would have such unpleasant luck."

"I don't believe it either, Croaker, but I've been obliged to 'suspend my disbelief.'"

"You act like one of my 'Attack Dogs.' How long?"

"Six years in my first lifetime, and seven years in my second. My first lifetime, I moved because I tried to ride a desk full-time and discovered that I would rather eat my own scrotum. In my second lifetime, after Moody had me trained back up, 'you number two' decided that I had the experience to come in directly, especially since _Harriet_ Potter was directly appointed to the Aurors, and her psycho-killer girlfriend wanted me dead."

"Is the 'psycho-killer' dangerous?"

"Dunno. In her first lifetime, she was my _wife_ and the _Minister of Magic,_ and was in _no one's pocket._ If this lifetime holds like my first, then I would answer 'only if you have a certain _exclusive_ tattoo.'"

The healer reported, "No rupture, and the strains and hernias have all healed completely. He'd have woken up this morning except his familiar was also in bad shape, and sharing his magic. The familiar's fine, by the way, and should wake up any…"

"Mew!"

"We were both lucky again, boy" I comfort him in my mind while petting him. "We've been out for about a month. But on the bright side, if Mum will ever let us see Pandora again, we'll _both_ have plenty of tuna!"

"Mew!" was his reply, along with a faint purr before he slipped into a normal sleep.

The healer ran another quick scan and said, "The familiar is fine, though _his_ magical core was just as strained; the core itself being a bigger surprise than the strain. The familiar should be fully back to normal in a day or so. Mr. Weasley should be well enough to leave the Hospital by the sixteenth, though he will need to rest for a few days to a week to finish building back his reserves."

The healer left a card on the side-table and told me, "The healer on the card is your healer, now."

He paused, and asked, "Director? What about at Hogwarts."

Croaker thought for a moment and answered, "I'll let you know. Poppy Pomfrey is no ordinary healer, and knows how to keep a secret or two for the good of the nation. We'll leave together, so we can send Arthur back in _after_ we're done."

The conversation turned back toward me. "I understand you have a 'training course' in your back garden."

"Remove the air quotes, and it's as close as you can get without restricted items or wards. I'd need some _actual_ supervised training to get the last of the cobs knocked out, but I could walk a patrol or do a 'gig' right now, were I not still in bed with magical exhaustion from saving Pandora Lovegood this time. Two out of three, by the way. Do you know what the fuck she was working on this time? If it wasn't for Lucky Boy forcing a magical transfusion, I'm told she'd be dead. And your guy makes it sound like if I had only had _two cores_ and no familiar, that I would have joined her."

"I know." he answered me. "Do you _need_ to know?" Seeing my expression, he added, "There's your answer."

He then asked, "Do you need to come in?"

I answered, "Not right away, for sure. I need to attend Hogwarts starting in the fall term of 1991. My 'extra work' in this lifetime is partly to make me more effective at what I have to _do,_ besides being a Hogwarts student. I also enjoy wand-crafting, and though we never exactly spoke about it until now, I owe Master Garrick at least one genuine shot of testing for my journeyman's card, which I am not exactly close to getting despite the fact that I am already making complete wands and doing wand reconditioning without direct supervision."

"Will you need any help?"

"If I do, I'll need it _desperately,_ but having it prior to need would likely cause more harm than good. Though, if my conditioning course should become 'less attractive' to any who shouldn't see it, be known of and enterable by my parents in case I have an accident, but not necessarily anyone else, and gain enough of the restricted items to do the most good without being dangerous or more than you can paper over, that would help. However, I leave that to your judgment.

"The real bitch about soul-based time travel is that even with the accelerated brain-growth, you _still_ have to do a lot of the judgment based and impulse-control based things with intellect alone – which is _not_ easy!"

Croaker said, "I'll think about it. If it will work without complications that you won't want to deal with, we'll make it happen. I'll have our Battle Mage Training Officer look it over in any case. If there is anything you forgot, we can fix that for you even without the restricted gear, and make it keep looking at first glance like a 'fan boy' made it. That is what it looks like now; when you look deeper; it looks like you actually covered all the bases."

"Thanks, Croaker, for both the help and the compliment."

"Garrick, will you need time alone with your apprentice?"

"Yes. About thirty minutes at most. I'll send the Weasleys in before I leave."

"Thanks, Garrick. And good night and speedy recovery Mage Weasley. If you want to go reserve, that _is_ a possibility once whatever you're doing at Hogwarts is done."

"Good night, and thank you, Croaker" I answered my former (and present?) boss as he left."

Master Garrick asked, "Do you know what to look for on your bank statement?"

"Yes, Master Garrick. The first deposit is always for thirteen galleons, thirteen and thirteen. The name of the 'depositor' is the cover name for your 'official employer' during your time at the DOM. If you ever do transfer out other than for cause, your time is quietly credited back to your Ministry personnel jacket so you don't lose any pension or seniority."

"If I may ask, Master Garrick, how do _you_ know?"

"I do contract consulting on magical focus related issues, from time to time. The skill-sets they need for that group don't exactly match with a wand-crafter, at least so as I'm aware. They wouldn't exactly admit it if they had one.

"But even contract consultants are given the basic briefing from DOM personnel section. Moreover, it would appear that this world is like your last two. A belated happy birthday, by the way."

I thought a moment, and nodded. "Good thing I'm not _actually_ just a ten-year-old! I'd probably be throwing a fit over missing my birthday, if I had the energy to throw _anything._ "

"I'm sure you will have all the birthday parties you can handle once you get out of here. You might want to say something to your Mum without giving away your secret if you can. As I am sure you can understand if you think about it, your Mum isn't too happy with my grand-nieces right now for needing to be rescued at such a great cost to you, even though you got lucky and will recover completely."

"How are they? I hadn't asked you right away because it was actually the first thing I asked Dad and Xenophilius when I woke up."

"Luna was emotionally devastated, but was completely unharmed otherwise. Pandora was released two days ago, with Xenophilius having 'seen' when he woke up the morning the accident happened, and having arrived at St. Mungo's before they even started trying to owl him. Both Luna and Pandora are magically and physically fine, now. They are seeing the mind-healer that worked with your brother, Mum, and you.

"Xenophilius also said that 'Luna can show Ron her knickers wherever she pleases, and if he doesn't care for them can go without and show him that.' He said that out of admiration for you for saving his wife and daughter, as well as guilt for what _could_ have happened otherwise, though I would still urge restraint and gentlemanly conduct.

"Neither Albus or I could figure out what she was working on for sure, though we both have our guesses. Since it was a DOM Contract, she's not allowed to say, and neither Albus nor I can even tell you our guesses either, unless you can find a legitimate _mission-based_ reason to be told - and Croaker will be the one to decide even if you try to come up with one.

"What I _can_ tell you is this – it _wasn't the same one from your first or second dimension._ Had you not intervened in exactly the way you did, at _exactly_ the time you did, the 'spell' would have _detonated._ The explosion would have powdered the Rookery, everything _and everyone_ inside it, and have levelled everything else for a three-kilometre radius. It would have also likely changed the course of the River Otter, and there would have been hell to pay with the Muggle Government. The A-30 would have needed a bridge to put it back to rights, and the Muggles would likely have lost as many as several dozen injured or killed motorists driving into the crater _in addition to losing an entire village._ The Muggle-Worthy Excuse office, MI-5, and MI-6 _combined_ would have played merry-hell coming up with something to blame that wouldn't cause a _war._

"You've just proved to Croaker that you are one of his people, and unless you quit or are fired, you'll _always_ be his, with death or dimension hopping only excusing you for being late coming into the office. The Ministry will award you an Order of Merlin, either a Second Class or maybe a First Class, within a week or so after you get out. The award itself will be classified for a while, and I don't know how long a while it will be. Your detailed citation will likely _never_ be declassified. In any case, you will be seeing Minister Bagnold within a week after you get out of here.'

I could only nod, stunned at just what the hell Pandora had been up to down in her lab.

After a minute, I asked, "Does Pandora still have a job?"

"Yes, but no more spell-crafting, at _her_ insistence. While she made a complete physical and magical recovery, there are just some things that won't leave you, and some things that tell you that a change in career-path is just what you need. Pandora found those that morning.

"When she told Croaker that she was done, and that she would sooner turn her lab into a ten-pin bowling alley for Albus Dumbledore than craft another spell, he backed off for a few days. When he returned and found Albus and I trying the lanes out for a game, he gave it up as a bad job and asked her if she would continue doing academic research only, with no crafting or brewing at all. She consented to that. While she doesn't even remotely need the money, she likes having something to do beyond taking care of Xenophilius, Luna, and the Rookery, provided she can do it from home."

"Master Garrick? I'm in no hurry to get my journeyman's card just yet, but how close am I? And will I be able to study anything to directly help while I'm at Hogwarts if I can without messing up my grades there?"

He thought a moment, and answered, "You're making great progress in the Craft. You have a way to go, but I'm honestly not sure how much of one. Although there is no 'absolute' rule on how many years you must have before you test, most people take at least seven years. Even with your progress to date being better than many with the same year's experience, you aren't quite there yet.

"But you seem to enjoy the work as well as being a quick learner. While potions brewing at the top levels isn't quite the same as the Craft, it is by no means easy. Severus Snape, with no particular sponsorship to speak of, was certified as a Potions Master at the age of nineteen. So, do your best. The results just may pleasantly surprise you.

"Did you have any other questions, Ron?

"No, Master Garrick. Could you send in Mum, Dad, and Xenophilius if he is still here?"

"I'll do that. Be sure to rest. I'll see you when you are ready to return to work, if not sooner."

"Thanks, Master Garrick" I told him, ending our conversation.

He walked out, with Mum, Dad, and Xenophilius walking in almost immediately as he did.

As soon as they sat down, I asked, "Mum, whatever it is going on between Pandora and you, could you please forgive her, for me if nothing else?"

Mum started off, "But she almost…"

Cutting her off before she got a full head of steam, I said, "She honestly _didn't know,_ Mum. Master Garrick told me that the lab has already been replaced with a _game room,_ and that she will no longer research spells, or even brew anything experimental or that might get tricky any more. Please? Consider it a birthday gift if you must…"

She hugged me and started crying again. We held each other and I comforted her as best as I could. Lucky Boy was now at the foot of the bed. After a couple of minutes, she let me go and laid me back down on the bed.

She finally said, "I'll have to see the mind healer _again_ anyway. She and I will be seeing the same one, so, we'll work it out." She smiled, and asked, "Are you starting to get a crush on Luna, now?"

I smiled back and answered, "I'm still too far out from puberty to answer one way or another, Mum. And it's usually the girls who figure out first, anyway. She's the only non-relative my age to be friends with around the Ottery, and I'm the only magical non-relative boy for her. We might want to actually start Hogwarts as well as puberty before we think of dating, and that's only when Xenophilius gives us permission, and if we both feel _that_ way then."

Xenophilius added, "It's Xeno, Ron. You're no less than a friend of my family. I only ask that you don't hurt Luna, don't _take_ from her, and only accept _gifts_ from Luna that you can honestly and willing return. Girls can be fun for boys, and boys can also be fun for girls. But she is not a plaything, and neither are you. If the two of you get to the point where you might make some _one_ other than memories, you _both_ need to be sure that you're committed to each other for the rest of your lives. That being said and done, and we'll be fine."

"I'll do as you ask, Xeno. I won't hurt her or her reputation." I told him.

"Thanks, son" he replied.

With my third yawn in two minutes, everyone excused themselves, with Mum saying that she'd be back in the morning, after she and Ginny finished up with the eggs and newspaper route.

§§§

Mum was as good as her word. When she returned in the morning after breakfast, she had Ginny, Luna, and Pandora with her. They were all getting along, and the strain between Mum and Pandora was already fading. Ginny was in jeans, trainers, and her jumper from last Christmas. Luna was also wearing a jumper, along with a blouse underneath, and a casual skirt with knee-length socks and trainers.

Pandora set her parcels up on a shelf of the private room, and said, "I wasn't able to bring tea with the other stuff I was carrying. Molly, Ginny, if you could help me carry some from the canteen? We'll only be a minute. We'll let Ron and Luna catch up, but we'll be right back.

They left the room, leaving a surprisingly nervous Luna and me alone. Luna said, "It's late, but 'happy White Day.' With that, she hiked the hem of her skirt to her armpits, and slowly turned around. She must have decided that I didn't care for her knickers.

She asked nervously, "Did you like it?"

I carefully got out of bed, and hiked my gown up to my armpits. I slowly turned around, and gave her show back to her. As we both blushed and smoothed our clothing back to normal, and I got back into bed, I answered, "Yes, and I hope that you liked _my_ gift. 'Happy White Day.'

"I hope that you haven't been upset about me along with being scared, Luna. I'm a boy, and we don't start the romantic stuff as quickly as girls do. I hope we will always _at least_ be friends, though. I won't tell you 'no' unless I _know_ I mean 'no,' and I promise I won't be mean or a jerk about it if it comes to that. I won't tell you 'yes,' unless I mean it either. Let's be friends for sure, and 'maybe' for the other, at least for now. Friends?"

I instantly had two arms full of a crying Luna, sobbing, "I almost _lost you_ " as she did. Pandora opened the door, and I quietly waived for them to give us another minute or two. Luna cried herself out quickly enough. I wiped her face dry with a tissue.

I said, "Are you ok, now? Are _we_ ok, now?"

She nodded, and mumbled, "I'm being stupid…"

"No you're not, Luna!" I quietly said. "You saw your mum badly hurt, saw Lucky Boy and I get badly hurt saving her, and I'm not even sure what else has happened to you in the last month. On top of anything you already felt, you've had all that dumped on you, and probably feel like you have to pay me back somehow. I _get_ it!

"But you don't need to push yourself faster than you would have done had things not happened like they did. And like I said, we boys tend to be clueless until we actually start puberty, and sometimes later than that.

"But unlike _most_ boys, _I'll_ know that the girl will say yes! That's good for _something,_ isn't it? And, we'll already be friends, which is the other hard part for a boy to ask a girl to be his girlfriend.

"Right now, I know you too good to have a 'puppy love' crush, and I'm too far away from puberty to start having those feelings. Girls start earlier than boys do, and with girls, the start of feeling like romance that isn't just pretend starts right at the age you are now. So, you _like_ me as well as like me. I'm happy. I'm just too young to return the _like_ and really mean it, because that kind of _like_ comes from the body as well as the brain and the heart. I won't tell you that I _like_ you when I can't _like anyone_ because my body is too young to understand it, and I like and respect you too much to lie.

"But you're also fun, funny, fun to be around, and always make me feel better. You look pretty, like to help me cook in the kitchen, and play a great game of chess. If you can live with an honest 'maybe,' we'll be fine. I won't be looking for anyone else either. They say that good things come to those who wait. Wait for me?"

She blushed prettily, and then got a devious smile and crimson blush on her face. She asked, "Will good things come _for_ those who wait as well?"

Dropping my voice and checking the door, I asked, "Have _you_ came?"

She nodded.

I pulled the covers down again and let her get a 'look.' I was somewhat stiff, but only because I made it that way to show her.

I got properly clothed and covered again and whispered, "I won't even be able to 'dry-come' for another year or so. When I'm physically able to really feel those feelings for _any_ girl, it will be as long as my hand, not almost as long as my thumb."

I went back to a normal voice and said, "So, we can call it more than 'just friends,' but not quite 'boyfriend and girlfriend' because I can't mean that with _any_ girl and will never lie to you. Are we good?"

She nodded, hugged me, and leaned in for a kiss. We closed our eyes and kissed on the mouth. While we weren't exactly 'chaste,' we weren't exactly kissing enough to 'get chased by Dads,' either. We broke apart and smoothed our selves just less than five seconds before Mums, tea, and Ginny came in.

We proceeded to have a quiet mini-birthday party for the rest of the morning. We had birthday cupcakes for desert, after having sandwiches for Mum and Ginny, sushi for Pandora, Luna and me, tuna sashimi for Lucky Boy and me, and Pandora and I split a small tokkuri of hot sake.

§§§

I didn't get out of the hospital until the nineteenth. We had another birthday party at the Burrow that evening. I was also on bed-rest for the rest of the week, and until at least after my doctor's appointment the following Monday.

Late on the morning of the twenty-seventh, I walked out to the back garden. I had gone into the Ministry that morning to receive my classified Order of Merlin, First Class, from Minister Bagnold. True to his word, Croaker had had the confidence course "improved," without it being obvious as the actual and functional training area that it was. I found a magically sealed note on a post where the start of the circuit would be on a regular course. Since I was now allowed to do simple magic, I drew my wand and spelled the note open. It figures that they would already have a fresh sample of my magic to go by.

The note read: _"The course was amazingly-well put together, and was even more amazingly 'shrunk down' for your smaller and younger body. I've 'upped the size' to what should be a better fit for you between now and when you leave for Hogwarts. I didn't put up anything 'dangerous' as such, since your siblings also use this as a play area. The targets will take stunners, blasting hexes, and so on while absorbing the noise._ _Just don't miss_ _._ _The only target that is safe for return-fire and shielding drills is the one flanked with the two scarecrows. Use it well, and we'll see what more we can do as time goes by. Training Officer."_

Well, _that's_ sorted, once I can use it again. And it still didn't interfere with the fruit trees or Quidditch pitch.

I thought about what else I needed. I needed to keep the money coming in, keep up with my apprenticeship with Master Garrick. But most of all, I needed to get a "tutor and coach" so that I could take my GCSEs in the spring of 1991 with everyone else and actually get top grades in them. This would need to happen starting in the next few weeks, just in case I was obliged to quit the lawn mowing or hand it over to Ginny, money and all.

Ginny now had my old bike, baskets and all, which I had outgrown. I had a larger bike, with baskets and such, so sometimes I would let Ginny help with the newspapers even on the days where I wasn't hospitalized by crazy brothers, detonating spells, and such. She had also done at least some of the mowing, and did decently at it. I wouldn't be able to even think of lawns in 1991 between my GCSEs, and trying to pick up more time at Ollivander's. Thinking about it, I decided that I would keep Hector Jones, the eggs, and the paper route, handing off the other seven lawns to Ginny. While she wasn't trying to pay for her GCSEs that I knew of, I knew that she liked money as much as the next kid did, and didn't mind working to get it.

I went back inside, and found Pandora visiting with Mum in the kitchen. Before I even said a word, Pandora asked, "Ron, how are your GCSE studies going?"

I finished removing my coat, hat, and shoes. I sat down at the table and answered, "I think they're going fairly well, but I was just thinking about that myself.

"I need to hire a tutor, or at least find out how much one would cost. While I'm studying everything I can find that is on the lists, I'm not sure if I'm learning it well enough to pass a NEWTs-style test on it. So, if I've got enough money saved up, I need to hire a tutor to see if I'm even close, and help me get the rest of the way there."

Pandora asked, "Would you be offended if I offered to find you a good one, and pay them?"

"If Mum says it's ok, I would have no problem with it."

Mum asked, "Will you have the time, though? You are already doing much more than a lot of boys your age. I don't want you _wasting_ Pandora's money, so if I let you hire that tutor at her expense, you _will_ put in the time to do your Muggle schoolwork _before_ doing anything else."

I replied, "I haven't asked Ginny yet, but I've already decided that this year, I'll only keep mowing for Mr. Jones, since Ginny is scared of Werewolves. I'll let Ginny take the other seven lawns. The eggs don't take any more time than they would if they were just chores, and the paper route is more getting paid to exercise than anything else. If time starts to become an issue, I can have her partner with me for this year, and if things get really bad, hand the whole thing off to her early. I won't be able to do _any_ of it from this coming autumn or so, on

"Ollivander's is much more important than the Muggle work. I won't know what to do with my hours with him until after I've had a couple of sessions with the tutor, and have him give me a 'mock GCSE' to see where I'm really at. At some point, I'm going to have to take unpaid time-off from Ollivander's to get ready for the actual test. But I really _won't_ know until after I've worked with the tutor, and have found out if I'm even close enough to be ready _at all._ I won't try them unless I _know_ I'll pass them with top grades."

Pandora commented, "Sounds responsible to me."

Mum called, "Ginny! Come down for a minute?"

Ginny came down, and Mum asked, "Have you had any trouble mowing for Hector Jones?"

"No, why?" she asked.

"Ronnie is going to take his Muggle NEWTs just more than a year from now. Pandora is going to help him get a tutor to get ready. Since he isn't going to a Muggle School, he's going to need help and need to study his Muggle Books a lot more than he has, so he won't be able to mow any more. He wanted to know if you would take over all the lawns, and the money from them, of course."

She surprised all of us by asking, "May I take _my_ Muggle NEWTs, too?" I've been studying all of Ron's books just like he has, and I've even been doing the homework like him, too! I might not have written essays about the wars, but I _have_ written about other things, and you've said that everything looked good. Please?"

I interjected, "Ginny, it will be a better idea if you take _your_ Muggle NEWTs a year after I do. That way, you will have more time to make sure you learn everything, and you will also have seen what I went through. After seeing how I do, you might decide that you don't want to.

"If Mum says you can, you can take the first few lessons and tests with me, to see where you are?"

Mum thought, and agreed, saying, "You _have_ been working on all of the extra Muggle Stuff when Ron's been at Ollivander's. We can have you go along for a lesson or two to start, and see if you can keep up."

"Thanks Mum!" Ginny answered. Ok, having a nine-year-old girl who was _only_ nine volunteer for up to two years of "cram school" for stuff… Ok. If she and Harry get together this time, she'll actually need the Muggle stuff at least as much as I do. And, I wasn't calling them 'Muggle NEWTs' just to be clever. Maybe I was starting to 'rub off' on her?

§§§

We ended up finding a very good tutor in Exeter. We also ended up finding out four other things.

First, Ginny was just as ready for the tests as I was, and in one or two actually got better scores on the tutor's evaluation tests. Second, _Luna_ had decided to join the game. It seems that Ginny had had a study partner after all. Third, all three of us were more than ready to pass them, and starting the "cram and tutoring sessions" a full year out would guarantee that we would all get A-stars on everything, provided we worked our asses off. Fourth, it would be easier to get three well-younger-than-normal kids into one testing session than it would be for us to get one younger kid in one year and two the next for two straight years. But, this made for some serious changes in lifestyle, particularly mine.

First, the paper routes went away completely. Mum decided that I could find a better way to fit exercise in without a paper route, especially with that confidence course behind the pond and the fruit trees. Second, the eggs became a three-way partnership while Percy and the Twins were in school between Mum and us, and during the summer, Ginny and I only got five pence per dozen each, but didn't work at all. Third, we kept Hector Smith because he would still have difficulty finding someone else even with the more liberal werewolf laws, but quit all of the other lawn customers after explaining our circumstances to them. Finally, I cut back my hours at Ollivander's as much as Master Garrick could spare me for. While I averaged at least three hours per day, and got paid for it, I had to bring in Muggle books to study at least part of the time when I could.

All of this time went into studying, writing, studying, taking mock GCSEs, and studying some more. We took breaks when we needed them, but _only_ when we needed them. Luna saw us more than her own Mum and Dad, and I saw just as much of Xeno and Pandora, since we "took turns" as to where we would study until passing out in mental exhaustion. When they were at home that summer, Charlie, Percy and the Twins learned _very quickly_ that the easiest way for them to win an 'all expense paid tour of de-Gnoming the garden' was to do _anything_ that would interfere with Ginny, Luna, or me studying!

This continued until May 13th of 1991. On that date, for a week straight, Luna, Ginny and I sat our exams in Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Statistics, Latin, Japanese, English Grammar, English Literature, British History, World History, World Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Music, with Ginny playing acoustic bass guitar, Luna the drums, and me playing my six-string; with all three of us singing in harmony. We took sixteen tests over seven weekdays, sitting our last exam on the twenty-first.

After taking the last test, which was playing several pieces in trio, we were utterly wiped out. We wouldn't get our exam results until some time in August. While I had Ollivander's and getting ready for Hogwarts to take my mind off of things, Ginny was totally on pins and needles the entire time waiting for the results. Luna was as serene and fun as always, which some days drove poor Ginny completely spare!

I _did_ have Ollivander's, though. By working shoulder-to-shoulder and open to close with Master Garrick, I regained the ground lost from my devoting my life to passing my GCSEs, and my 'ear' for the wands grew in discernment. He and I even arranged that should it become possible, that I would spend some time during the week and weekends under his tutelage while at Hogwarts, to continue to grow as a wand crafter.

Charlie, meanwhile, was also awaiting _his_ NEWT scores. While Hagrid had helped Charlie and one of his friends from Hogwarts get hired by the Dragon Reserve in Romania, their NEWT scores, particularly their Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Defence scores would determine their starting salary.

He had started his magical visa, work permit, and potions regime as soon as Hogwarts let out. However, the process, while seemingly drawn-out didn't take much time out of any given day. So, while he was not going to lose time once his NEWTs came in, he had little on that front to distract him.

So, he and Ginny got to commiserate together while he helped her with the eggs and helped her take up the lawn mowing again as the summer went on. The work helped them pass the time, and further helped tie him back to the rest of the family.

Percy continued to study. He had his OWL year coming up. He had every intention of not only passing them, but also continuing every class he was taking up to the NEWT level – even _Magical History._ He still planned on working in the Ministry once he passed his NEWTs and left Hogwarts, though he still hadn't decided what department or departments to try for.

Fred and George continued to goof off, experiment with their pranking materials, and try to 'lighten' the mood of everyone else. Sometimes this worked well for them. Sometimes, they went a little too far around Ginny and got to discover the joys of the "Bat-Bogey Hex." That was the same morning they tried to startle me on my way to wash my face and brush my teeth earlier on. Dad had _just_ got them down from the hall ceiling, too.

§§§

I had hoped that I would be at the shop when Hermione came in and bought her wand, which would likely be the eleventh one I crafted. Sure enough, I was. When I worked the 'front area,' I was placed under a Disillusionment charm, so I wasn't seen by most customers. That was so I wouldn't be a distraction, particularly for the new first years buying their wands. This was also since while my apprenticing wasn't _exactly_ a secret, Master Garrick and I didn't particularly advertise it either, and agreed that we wouldn't until I started Hogwarts.

It was Saturday, the 29th of June of 1991. Ginny and I had just survived "Death by GCSE" eight days previously. I was now working "open to close" for Master Garrick every day with little time off to make up for lost time not working and studying the Craft.

Muggle-borns who turn eleven after September first but before the school year ends are typically told about the magical world the calendar month after they turn eleven, unless they have been advanced in their Muggle schooling or would otherwise start Muggle grade six prior to their first year at Hogwarts. In those cases, the student would occasionally be invited _before_ they would turn eleven, provided they also had sufficient maturity to handle a boarding school environment, and that their magic had sufficiently stabilized to attend practical classes.

June 29th was the first day these students were able to shop the Alley for _anything,_ because this was the "official" date of their acceptance letter, even though they would have in Hermione's case had that letter for _months,_ and have possibly had a guided tour of the Alley already. Each shop had their limits on the number of students they would service as a "group." Master Garrick's limit was _one_ student, no more than two family members, and no more than one Professor.

Hermione came in with her parents and Professor McGonagall at 10:37 that morning. It appeared that Hermione was in fact seeing the shop for the first time. Master Garrick had a strict "no tourists" policy, so the Professors all knew not to bring a new student until and unless they were buying their wands.

Hermione was every bit as enthusiastic and eager as you would imagine. At precisely 10:45, it being the eleventh wand that examined her, she was chosen by my ten and three quarters inch Vinewood wand.

I was saddened to do my part, and hold the wand to the Trace stone, but it was part of my job. It was difficult enough once I was even allowed into the front area of the shop in the first place. If the Ministry had _any_ inkling that either Master Garrick or I were selling untraced wands to _any_ minors, particularly Muggle-borns, there would be hell to pay, and both my arse and Master Garrick's to clear the cheque. If the "His Oh So High and Mighty Ferretness" Draco Malfoy had to suffer a Trace, than "those filthy mudbloods" would have to as well.

One o'clock in the afternoon brightened my day right back up, even though it would mean another Trace. Pandora Lovegood was much closer to Mum this go-around. Thus, she was a little less "over the top" in spending money on me. And, while she wasn't "sneaking," which would have pissed Mum off; she was being 'subtle' enough that both Mum and she were able to save face. If Pandora was supervising my shopping as a 'responsible adult' would do, I was spending some of my savings on new stuff, and Pandora was 'treating me to a thing or two,' all was well at the Ottery. If my contribution ended up only being to pay for a nice meal, no one other than Pandora and I need know.

Besides, other than my wand and uniforms, there wasn't much shopping to do. Pandora was paying for my wand, but getting it at cost. My trunk was not cheap, but wasn't obviously anything other than a new trunk. That it was a six compartment self-shrinking trunk including normal trunk, extra clothing storage, library, potions lab, efficiency apartment with loo and cooler box, and prisoner holding cell with more wards and security features than Hogwarts itself wasn't obvious at first glance. And unless I activated the 'feather-light' charm or actually shrunk the damned thing, it weighed roughly the weight of whatever was in the first compartment plus the weight of a normal trunk.

Besides, since I worked on the Alley for Master Garrick, the shop owner sold it to me at cost. Because of my age and my apprenticing to Master Garrick, the other merchants adopted me as an "Alley Rat."

In the days when being a shopkeeper wasn't quite as prestigious, and when shops were much more routinely handed down over the generations, the children of shopkeepers who were old enough to work did so. Those children who were not quite that old yet, along with their older siblings who were on-break, would play in the Alley. The more disdainful customers tended to mix these children up with beggars, and called the lot "Alley Rats."

Today, the term is only used by the shopkeepers themselves, and with a far greater degree of affection. The children of shopkeepers these days tended to _not_ want to take up the shop when the time came. So, seeing a responsible _working_ child on the Alley tended to not only raise the spirits of the shopkeepers, but strongly encouraged them to offer discounts, above and beyond the tax exemption I already held as an apprentice Wand-Crafter.

I had saved up enough money that with my discount I could have afforded it on my own. But, with Pandora and Luna _both_ crying, I couldn't exactly turn them down on paying for it.

Just the same, Luna's and Pandora's birthday and Christmas presents this year were going to be much nicer than just Chocolate Frogs.

But, it was the wand that I purchased first. It still chose me just as it had the day I had made it, and in fact was my 'work' wand until I polished and boxed it this morning. It was still 14 inches long, swishy willow, with the tail hair freely given directly by the male unicorn from whence it came.

It went across the Trace stone, by Master Garrick's hand so things didn't look _too_ unusual at the Ministry, and into the new Auror Holster I wore on my left wrist. While it was my 'official' and thus 'primary' wand, I would only cast with it at home or at Hogwarts, short of a dual-wielding epic battle. Thus, both of my 'milestone' early wands officially sold on the same day.

My 'secondary' wand, that I used the rest of the time since the day I paid for it in blood, was in my right Auror Holster that it resided in since that day. While it was every bit as nasty if it thought that had been 'borrowed' without permission, it was otherwise a very docile wand as well as one that would channel a lot of power.

If it _knew_ I lent it to you, provided you were within my sight, or if you were trying to heal me with it, it behaved precisely as well as if it had chosen you. If you got further away, it would behave more 'poorly,' and might even 'warn' you if you were about to cross the line. Once that line was crossed, that wand would 'rock your world.'

Between the actual transactions, and pleasantries, Pandora and I left the shop at 1:30. Though the day was somewhat warm, I was wearing long sleeves as I usually did on the Alley. Once I started carrying my 'second' wand, the 'unofficial status quo' dictated that I not go in short sleeves on the Alley or in Hogsmeade when I was 'carrying.'

Elsewhere was fine, but Auror Holsters were _not_ for civilians, and while their chameleon charms were much better than for civilian or duellist holsters, they _could_ be detected by any competent Auror, Hit-Wizard, and so on. Since I _wasn't_ supposed to _openly_ have an Auror Holster, much less two with wands, I wore long sleeves. While both wands and holsters _were_ legal, my permits were awarded under sufficiently unique circumstances that they could be withdrawn with enough "Malfoy Money" in the right places.

Our first stop was the trunk shop. The trunk, which I ordered three months prior, was finished and waiting for final payment and initial binding. The binding was relatively painless, provided that being lanced to draw blood and getting zapped in the wound eight times can pass for painless, but at least it was quick.

The next stop was Madam Malkins. My complete uniform list, which was name-tagged and fitted two days ago, was ready. Even though this was supposed to be the first day for Hogwarts first-year shopping, and my older siblings wouldn't even be in town until late afternoon, _my order_ was ready. When you work on the Alley, you take care of each other.

My robes, trousers, and so on were fitted just loosely enough that if I grew between now and September that I wouldn't even need the adjustment charms. I also bought two sets of pyjamas, one bathrobe, two weeks worth of white undershirts and boxers, along with black dress socks.

I picked up one pair of black dress shoes, wax, and edge dressing. I would have the rest of the summer to break the shoes in without making them look beat-up. There are some jobs where having footwear that didn't hurt your feet was important. While being a Hogwarts student wasn't exactly one of them, I worked in two very closely related jobs that did. Charms can do wonders, but the shoes have to actually fit and be broken-in to actually get your money's worth out of the charms in the first place. With uniforms paid for and placed in the ordinary trunk section, we moved to our next stop.

The stationary shop was a quick visit. Quills, parchment, ink, sealing wax, all were bought as boringly as such sundries normally are. I also bought two new penknives. Despite the fact that they make money off of them, the clerks _never_ think to remind their customers that pens need to be sharpened, and you don't get to learn the quill-sharpening charm until December.

A good penknife still works better, and lets you get just a little more use out of the quill, since the charm made the rest of the quill more brittle. The 'home penknife' was getting old, and just like the name suggests, was _not_ to be taken to school. Bill, Charlie, and the Twins didn't bother, Percy bought one from his pocket money last year, and Ginny shared someone else's in the other timelines. So, I bought one for me, and one for Harry.

Our last stop was the potions supply shop. We bought the standard first-year kit, which went in to the normal trunk section. We also bought the extra variety of ingredients I would need for various commonly needed healing potions, salves and creams. These and the extra paraphernalia went into the potions lab section after being paid for. I would finish my inventory and set-up of that lab over the next month or so, and see to stocking it the rest of the way before September first.

I didn't need scales or a telescope, since Bill had had given his to me, and he was smart enough to _never_ share with Charlie.

§§§

Charlie's scores came in during the second week of July along with the school letters. He got Outstandings in Care of Magical Creatures and Defence, and Exceeds Expectations in Charms, which was the only grade that low out of all the NEWTs he'd taken. He'd also taken the NEWTs for Transfiguration, Potions, and Runes.

With his scores received, we had a congratulatory and going away party for him on the thirteenth. By the following Wednesday, he was already working in Romania, since he had started his magical visa, work permit, and potions regime as soon as Hogwarts let out.

I was glad that he and I had finally made up from the problems in 1989. Though it took Valentine's Day of 1990 happening, and his finally watching Percy's and Dad's Pensieve memories to get the job done, we were back to 'pre-1989' normal before midsummer of 1990. It was great to have Charlie back. It was also nice to know that if Hagrid won anything hinky playing cards in early 1992 that we had someplace to "dump" the winnings.

We had another party the following Saturday, celebrating Percy's appointment as Prefect and my getting accepted to Hogwarts. The party was for both of us, like it was in my first lifetime. Unlike my first lifetime, I was not in an ill-behaved jealous funk because Percy received a Post Owl and new uniforms. He still got the stuff. I just wasn't bothered.

He also seemed to act even more pompous than usual. You had to know Percy to read him correctly. He was more 'formal' than some adults were, much less his working-class siblings. He also tended to "stiffen up" even more when Fred and George were taking the Mick, which was almost all the time.

He was also justifiably proud of being selected as Prefect. But, he tended to brag too much, at least in the eyes of Fred and George. When they took the Mick, he actually got his back up and was even _more_ snooty, not less.

It was understandable, really. With six boys to survive infancy, plus Ginny, _none_ of us thought we got our fair share of recognition. With our family tending to be rather frugal to put it mildly, rivalries tended to get intense at times. When you add a full set of brand-new uniforms and a Post Owl to the mix, it gets even worse.

That was another one of the "smaller" reasons I worked. With my savings, I had the money to get brand-new uniforms _myself, without_ any help from Mum and Dad. Even with the lost time while I was fully involved with passing my GCSEs, I still had almost 10,000 galleons in the bank, since I didn't have to pay rent, and I really didn't spend a lot of money. Having had Pandora insist on paying for most of my stuff didn't hurt the bottom line, either.

Which leads us to the party itself. We started off at five, with me coming home four hours early from the shop. I quickly showered and changed into play clothes, and was back down and part of the centre of attention. Percy was getting more of the attention, which was fine by me.

I sat at the far end of the table, with Luna to my right. Guessing what she wanted, I didn't bother with socks, and she wasn't disappointed. I had all but promised her that she would have "her" chance to woo me, and I was a boy of my word. She had left her sandals at the back door when she came over with Pandora and Xeno, and was playing a gentle but _very insistent_ game of "footsie" beneath the table.

Above the table, other than a slight blush on my face, we were both happy and serene. Pandora and Xeno had brought a large tray of sushi and sashimi; they even remembered to bring the daikon along with the pickled ginger and wasabi. After Lucky Boy got "his" share, the rest was on offer for everyone else, and everyone tried at least a little.

I was also allowed to drink up to _four_ tokkuri of sake through the evening, provided I didn't get sick or obviously drunk. This was quite the privilege, and one my siblings had not had extended to them. I was the only Weasley under seventeen drinking that night. Or, over seventeen come to that. While Mum and Dad were not teetotallers, they were far more likely to appear with a mug of tea than anything containing alcohol.

I was even allowed to pour _one_ saucer for Luna when we first sat down. She held her saucer to my lips and had me drink it. I did the same for her, and we actually got the Twins to lay off from Percy for almost two minutes in favour of trying to take the Mick with Luna and me. Since neither of us was paying Fred and George any attention, they went back to razzing Percy.

Mum had also made a spread of finger-foods, as much to not be outdone by Pandora as to allow for most of the family, who were more indifferent of Japanese food than anything else.

Percy sat at the head of the table, where Dad normally sat. Hermes, Percy's new post owl, was out hunting. Since Hermes was even less fond of loud gatherings than his new owner was, he would likely be in Percy's room when he returned from his evening hunt.

Things went well for the first hour and a half, or so; at least on the surface. Everyone laughed, ate, drank, and socialized. Since only Xeno, Pandora, and I were drinking alcohol, things shouldn't have gotten pear-shaped. Except, the Twins just wouldn't lay off of Percy's arse.

"Ron, how am I doing in the girlfriend race?" Luna asked, blunt as always.

I answered, "Still way out front, Luna. You remembered to bring the padded 'clue-by-four' for the clueless boy, which works in your favour, too."

"Are we close enough to squeeze each other's bums publicly when we kiss yet?"

Fortunately, I wasn't drinking anything at that exact second. I was also glad that I had a very week _Muffliato_ up around us too.

"You'd know better than me, Luna. But I _do like_ you that way, and providing we don't go further, I trust you, and I'll be trustworthy _too._ Why?"

"Fred and George are still trying to spoil Percy's share of the party because of all the Wrackspurts infesting their heads and making them jealous. A good open mouth kiss with a bum rub for each of us should drive them away for a while, don't you think, Ron?"

"I think that it will get us both told off for certain, and maybe grounded. I don't think that the Twins will lay off of Percy as long as it takes for our Mums and Dads to tell us off or ground us, or whatever they decide to do.

"If you remember the "health" classes we had to study for our GCSEs, you'll remember that doing that will also get us to want to do _much more,_ which is part of why they'll get so mad at us, Right? When have you seen _either_ of our parents do that with each other?"

She answered, "Last week, Dad and Mum thought I was over here with Ginny. We were actually about to walk into the lounge when they were kissing like that. Ginny and I left after Dad had Mum's panties to her ankles and was pulling her dress over her head.

"But you're right; they _don't_ do it where they think anyone else will see."

"Luna, the bum-rub would be 'too nice' to show off, and would be 'too much' to take the heat off of Percy. Besides, this will only be our third kiss. Let's just keep our hands on each other's upper backs and kiss until they break us up. That way, they will only be slightly angry at worst, and the Twins will have more time to razz us instead of turning back on Percy while we're getting told off. If we talk to our Mums and Dads right, we just might still be able to be alone with each other and get to actually rub each other's bums."

"Stand up, spoilsport!" she said quietly.

We stood and kissed. We both kept our hands 'politely' on each other's backs, and didn't quite make body-to-body contact below the waist. The catcalls from the Twins were music to our ears. Percy's sputtering was an added bonus, since his defensiveness was only making _his_ difficulty with the twins worse. The angry taps we received on our shoulders were not particularly welcome, but they _were_ expected.

It was Dad and Xeno who took us into the Front Room to be "told off." Mum was more sad than angry, and was actually angrier with Fred and George than she was at us.

Xeno asked me, "Did you _take_ anything?"

I answered, "No, we _shared._ It was more her idea, but I am equally responsible for the both of us, and fully responsible for me."

He asked, "Did you want to share _more?"_

" _Want_ to, _yes._ We both did. Want to enough to risk problems we aren't old enough to even _imagine,_ much less solve, _no._ Not even if we had been alone together.

"She wanted our second kiss to be special. Instead, she shared it with me to _try_ to keep a party that is 'half mine' from being spoilt by Fred and George pulling the Mick on Percy and dragging it across the floor. Percy needs to be less defensive and more relaxed. The Twins need to _get off his bum._ If _they_ want new dress robes and a Post Owl, they have three more years to get their grades up, and get caught less pulling their pranks.

"They believe that they won't need great NEWT scores for their job plans after school. They might even be right. I have no idea if Gringotts looks at NEWTs when approving business loans.

"Percy _needs_ his OWLs, NEWTs, and the Prefect Badge as well if he plans on going into the more bureaucratic side of the Ministry. I know he hasn't talked to _me_ about the Aurors, and I don't think he's asked Dad about the Patrol.

"Back to Luna and me. I gave my word, Xeno. I won't _take,_ and I won't share _anything_ that will or even _might_ hurt Luna or make her life more difficult. We are boyfriend and girlfriend now, in addition to being friends. I can't say we're dating yet because at our ages, we would need an escort to any place we would want to go to for a date even without needing a chaperone. I will not look for another or allow myself to be looked _for_ by another until the start of Luna's first year at the earliest. That way, we will both have 'fair competition' for each other's affections.

"But our _friendship_ to each other is worth more than romance. If either finds one they truly cannot live without, we will not hold each other to something that would only cause one or both of us pain. So, we will also avoid _doing_ anything that would bind us that way until we are _both_ certain that _both_ us are truly ready to marry happily and _voluntarily._

"Will Luna and I kiss like that again? Certainly, just not in the middle of the kitchen to startle everyone, and not anything like as long as we did. Will we go farther? Not anytime soon. We're only barely old enough to get ourselves into serious trouble, and not even close to being old enough to get ourselves _out_ of trouble. You _can_ trust us with your backs turned."

Dad asked, "What do you have to say, Luna?"

She replied, "Ron has already said everything that needs to be said. He is a gentleman after all. He even thanked me for bringing along a 'clue-by-four' to the party with me. Too bad I couldn't use it to chase off the Wrackspurts that have infested the Twins and Percy. Bit of a bother having to share my second kiss too; especially when my _first_ kiss was just a month after thinking I would bury a boyfriend and mother before making it to Hogwarts."

Dad asked me, "What's a 'clue-by-four?'"

"Dad, it's an expression that means to be so blunt and clear that it's just short of being hit over the head with a piece of wood like the type Muggles use to build houses."

"So, a word-play on 'two-by-four,' which football hooligans use to beat each other with?"

"Exactly, Dad."

Xeno said, "Arthur, I believe the both of them, and I still trust them."

Arthur replied, "I do as well. They can deal with Molly on their own, though."

Mum had walked into the room behind them. She added, "The both of you kids should be thankful for what Pandora _sees._ Provided you don't have any repeats of 'long kisses you're too old for in the middle of the kitchen,' nothing more will happen. You will be allowed an extra half-tokkuri of sake, Ron, since the Twins tried messing with the half-tokkuri you had on the table.

"Short kisses you're probably still to young for are okay for 'hello' and 'goodbye,' providing that your hands don't go any lower than the smalls of your backs, and providing you don't make any firm contact below the waist. Hugs without kissing are okay with the same restrictions.

"Pandora says that she _sees_ the two of you not getting physically involved without being married first. If you try to show us any different, you _will both_ regret it. Otherwise, congratulations on becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Please come back out to the kitchen. After Percy, Fred, and George have apologized to the _both_ of you, we'll cut and serve out the cake, and hopefully enjoy the rest of the evening."

Luna and I both hugged and kissed Mum first, thanking her for her understanding. Luna then hugged and kissed Xeno, while I hugged Dad _without_ kissing him. Dad nodded in understanding at that.

The apologies sounded sincere, the cake was cut and served out, and the extra half-tokkuri actually quietly became a full one. If you've ever tried to fill a small irregularly shaped ceramic vessel before, you can understand why.

However, we barely finished eating the cake before 'perfect Prefect Percy' was heard once again, along with 'you can't take points for PDA until at _least_ one of them is sorted.' The twins had my 'Mick-O-Meter' pegged before Luna and I had our second kiss. She had probably felt my temper building, and decided that getting me flustered was better than having me blow my top and start hexing. The Twins must have been too busy to read the memo.

" _Enough, already!_ " I said. "Percy is so formal he's stuffy. We get it. Percy gets it. But he can't do anything about it if you keep riding his arse about it!

"So Percy got new uniforms and a Post Owl. Bill and Charlie _also_ got new robes in fifth year when _they_ made Prefect. And all three of them will have to get _three years_ use out of those uniforms, too. Did it ever occur to the two of you that if either of you make Prefect in two years, that Mum and Dad will have to buy the _both_ of you new uniforms?

"Did it occur to _either_ of you that Percy is actually trying to say _'I made it too'_ instead of how pompous he sounds? Did it ever occur to either of you that he might have had to work harder than Bill and Charlie? Or that Bill and Charlie seemed to make everything look so easy that you couldn't tell how hard they actually _worked_ to get what they got?

"Did it ever occur to you that Percy _needed_ that badge to get any of the Ministry jobs he's looking for after Hogwarts, and that he's actually _relieved_ that his adult professional career hasn't been ended at _fifteen?_ You might not even need your OWLs or NEWTs, provided you can actually create safe and funny products, and that you can find an investor who believes in you. Guess what? Not even _Lucius Malfoy_ can buy an entire ministry, and Merlin knows he's tried.

"I'm going out to look at the stars for a while. Luna, if you join me, bring a chaperone and a saucer. If your parents and you leave before I come back in, please say and kiss me goodnight before you leave. In any case, though I'll want to say it again before you leave; thank you for coming over, Xeno, Pandora, and Luna. Your company this evening has truly been wonderful, and I appreciate your helping Percy and me celebrate our particular milestones in life."

I sat outside on the bench near the back door and looked up at the sky. As I sipped my saucer, I let the frustration bleed off and into the ether. Fred and George couldn't see as I could that they were only pushing Percy into a dark place, and holding him there with their unrelenting teasing.

To be honest, the only reason _I_ saw it was that I was on my third lifetime, and I saw the results proven out twice. While Percy wouldn't actually fall completely for the blood-supremacist line of Codswallop, he _could_ be forced into their camp even if only slightly, if he was convinced that he had no place else to go – and without realizing it, Fred and George were rolling out the 'No Place Else To Go mat' and bludgeoning Percy with it daily.

Luna came out to the bench to sit with me. I poured her a saucer, refilled my own, and we drank together in silence.

When we had finished our saucers, she spoke very quietly. "Mum, Dad, and I will be leaving as soon as the two of say goodnight. They gave us permission for a 'long' kiss, too. Maybe the kiss will work better for _your_ Wrackspurts than it did for Percy and the Twins?

"I had also worn your favourite panties tonight, and I'd hoped to show them to you. I don't think Mum and Dad would appreciate me showing you right now, and you'd need wand light to see them anyway. What colour do you think I'm wearing, love?"

"Tan-line," I answered. "They suited you when you visited me in hospital, even if you felt you _had_ to show me rather than _wanting_ to show me."

"Is it longer than your hand, yet?" she asked.

"No, but it's longer than yours."

I continued, "I can now say I _like_ you, Luna. I can now say 'I _love_ you' too. I can't say if the romantic part will last yet. _Neither_ of us can, because we _are_ still too young. But I told Xeno and you the same thing at the same time, like I had told you earlier on. I'm interested in _both_ our happiness, but more yours. If you're happy, _whomever_ you're with, _I'll_ be happy."

We stood as one. We hugged and kissed exactly as we did in the kitchen, but this time broke apart ourselves. I said, "I love you, Luna Lovegood. I will always love you, whether as a boyfriend, husband, or as a friend and sibling."

She answered, "I love you too, Ronald Bilius Weasley."

She then whispered, "Even if I have to share, if they will share you."

Back in a normal voice, she finished, "Always remember me, Ron. I will always remember you. Good night, and I'll see you no later than the next time I sleep over with Ginny."

With one last quick and passionate but well-behaved kiss, she walked away, leaving her saucer. She said, "Mum will get the sake stuff back tomorrow. Bye, Ron."

I replied, "Good night, and thanks for coming, Luna, Xeno, and Pandora. Lucky Boy also says thanks for the sashimi."

With a "goodnight' and the crack of Apparition, they were gone. Two saucers later, and Dad joined me, sitting on the bench next to me.

"They say you shouldn't drink alone even if you're a grown up. At eleven, they say you shouldn't drink at all," he said.

"Then it's a good thing you joined me, Dad; even if we only gaze at the stars. Even your company is welcome. If you have any thoughts, I'd like to hear them as well."

I asked, "Do you think Percy would make it on the Patrol? Or with the Hit Wizards?"

Dad sat in silence with me for a minute or two. He finally answered, "With the Patrol, I'm not so sure. With the Hit Wizards, probably not. Why would _you_ think he would have problems?"

I thought myself for a moment. I answered, "I'm not sure he could fit in teamwork-wise. You have to start out with a partner for the Patrol and the Hit Wizards, and the Aurors as well come to that. Even Senior Auror Moody had a partner for many years. With the Battle Mages, the only way they'll take a 'lone wolf' is if that person was _very good_ as an Auror.

"No patrolman would have the skills the Battle Mages would want unless they're to the point of doing 'off the street' hires. No Hit Wizard that I know of has ever willingly transferred to the Battle Mages, and no Hit Wizard has even worked for DOM under training since the '30's

"You might guess, but you never _really_ know if they'll make it past their first kill. With the Patrol, the risk never goes away, but it's never particularly high. The Aurors handle the tough collars, but they are also detectives. Outside of anomalies like the Voldemort war, an Auror has only a slightly higher chance than a Patrolman of having to take a life.

"With the Hit Wizards and Battle Mages, it's never a question of if, but of how _many._ That's some serious baggage to haul around. And it never really goes away, even if there really _was_ no choice other than 'them or you,' and 'them' forcing the choice.

"Percy has more steel in him than most people see when they look at him. You actually walked the beat, and are still at heart a Patrolman, even in street clothes with a civilian rig. Grandfather Septimus raised you to a man, so you've at least seen that much of the Hit Wizards. I know little about the Patrol or the Hit Wizards, other than that they hire 'off the street' more readily than the Auror Force or the DOM.

"Why did you go with the Patrol, Dad?" I asked.

Dad sat silently for a minute, and took a good drink from his mug of tea. The tea had a little "help" in it.

"Ron, My Dad told me in all seriousness that if I hired on with the Hit Wizards that he would disown me and never speak to me again. He did not tell me as my Dad, or as my Father, but as _Septimus Weasley –_ a man you would be glad to have watching your back in a fight, but that you would never face in a fight the second time. While the last war was brutal, and if you're right will be brutal again, the Grindelwald War was every bit as bad, just 'over there' instead of 'over here.'

"He said that he did things in the war that he would take to the grave, if they didn't take him first. He said that he did what he did so that I would never be expected to do the like. He said that if I wanted to honour him, that I should hire on with the Patrol, which is what he wanted to do at first. While you couldn't tell from looking, Dad was injured _badly_ during the War; enough to draw full disability pay for the rest of his life. That, and his 'medal money' from his Order of Merlin, First Class supported us

"Elmer Perkins was the younger brother to one of Dad's partners who was lost, and was the fifth year Gryffindor Boy Prefect when I was a firstie. With the 'double-connection,' I was able to start work right away, instead of waiting for the next Patrolman Academy class to start in October. I was the only member of my class walking the beat.

"Your uncles both started out with the Aurors. Bilius stayed with them. He didn't pick up baggage nearly as quickly as your grandfather did, but he picked it up for a longer time, and didn't handle it nearly so well. While his work never suffered, he never married. He kept crawling into a Firewhisky bottle for solace until one morning he didn't make it back out. He had just turned forty a week prior.

"Your Uncle Charles was smarter. He stayed just three years. He taught Defence Against the Dark Arts at West Country Comprehensive for two years after that before he hired on to teach Defence at Ilvermorny in America. He just got naturalized as an American Citizen last year, if you remember.

"Percy is too sensitive a young man, yet also too formal. He wouldn't handle anything front-line, especially not for a lifetime's work. He also hasn't stopped to think about how much it costs to raise seven living children, or the uninsured losses your Mum and I dealt with during the war, or the political garbage we had to deal with from the likes of the Malfoys. We actually have it better off than Percy thinks.

"But, he has his ambitions set high, and in politics. I'm not sure how happy he will be if he actually catches his dreams. There isn't nearly so much money in government as some think, unless the official is on the take. I would hope that your Mum and I had raised _all_ of you kids better than that."

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I started on another tokkuri. Then Dad surprised me with his next question.

"So, Ron, _why_ did you time-travel?"

I looked at his face. This was not a shot in the dark, even if it was after nightfall.

I answered, "It wasn't my choice. I was _pulled_ from my first lifetime to my second, and _pushed_ from my second lifetime to this one. And to answer your next question; in both moves, I 'landed' at the point of conception. I am the only Ron Weasley to ever exist in this version of the universe, and I was always _your_ son and Mum's. Were you told, or did you figure it out?"

He said, "Pandora Lovegood isn't the only 'partial seer' Algernon Croaker has working for him. He told me when you were still in hospital last year. He said that his people _saw_ things working better if they told me, rather than finding out later. He also told me that _you_ would be the one to tell most of the other people who truly need to know, and that I was to 'nudge' your Mum away from guessing before you told her, and that you would know when.

"If time travel beyond Time-Turners wasn't considered a fantasy, I might have guessed it before. It does explain why your wandless magic never went away, and why it was always so strong. It also explains why your 'play course,' once you looked at it, was the real damned thing, minus the special targets until Mr. Croaker figured you out in 1990. Does Mr. Ollivander know?"

"He was the first one to figure it out, Dad. He is preternaturally observant, and sees things that others miss. I didn't use any magic in front of him, until after the first week, when he had figured out that I had travelled time. If he has told anyone, I don't know of it."

"So, you weren't just having boyhood fantasies about helping Harry Potter win the second half of a war that everyone hopes, and almost everyone _believes_ is over?"

"I wish I was, Dad."

"Are you thinking of drafting Percy into the war?"

"I had thought about it. But the two of us will be on the front lines. If I don't get lucky and nip things in the bud, Mum and William will also be involved for sure.

"My first lifetime resembles this one far more closely than my second. In my first lifetime, Percy went to work at the Ministry after passing his NEWTs. But the ministry was rotted out from within and taken over by Voldemort. While War Crimes Trials cleared Percy of any culpability, he was trapped in an organization that was not only Dark, but Evil as well. It started with being vulnerable to alienation with the rest of us, and being convinced that he had no place to go should he flee the Ministry. He fought at our sides in the final battle, but the war took more out of him than many.

"He can fight. If his involvement becomes inevitable, I would rather he not be in a 'puppet ministry' ran by Voldemort.

"He would certainly be able to quit the DOM and join the regular ministry after the war is won. And make no mistake, while we _can_ lose, we _will_ win, because the other choice is no choice at all. I myself may likely retire when all is said and done. I enjoy the Craft, and I am very good at it. Master Garrick expects me to take at least my journeyman's examination, and I expect to pass it. Practicing the Craft also allows one to _create_ by creating, rather than practicing destruction.

"If the Ministry falls, Percy will be best serving himself by _not_ being in it. But, the Ministry might not fall this time around. In my first lifetime, Croaker never had more than eighteen Mages of all ranks before the end of the Second Voldemort War. By the time he was actually legally able to do anything, he had only five. Today, we have sixty Mages, six Senior Mages, a Training Officer, and the Chief.

"So, other than remind Percy that he has a family that loves him, continuing to be his brother, and encouraging him to seek broader horizons, I don't know what to do."

"Do your best, and do what is right. That's what your Mum and I taught you to do."

He and I stood and hugged each other. He kissed me on the forehead, and I on his cheek.

He said, "Don't stay out here all night. Your Mum won't go to bed until you do. Good night, Ron."

"Good night, Dad," I answered. "I'll be in shortly."

I drank the last saucer of the evening, and gathered the three empty tokkuri. I went inside, leaving the saucers and containers by the drain-board. Mum was at the kitchen table, drinking one last mug of tea.

I walked to her, leaned down, and hugged her while kissing her cheek.

I wished her, "Good night, Mum. Thanks for the party."

Mum sighed, "I'm sorry it was ruined for both Percy and you."

Giving her one last hug and kiss, I answered, "It wasn't _perfect,_ but it was far from ruined, at least for me."

I went up to my room, stripped to my underwear, and went to sleep.

§§§

Master Garrick and I both felt it would be for the best if I were not in the shop the day that Harry Potter bought his wand. He would be getting his Auror holster, but from me on the train, not from anyone in the shop on shop time. Master Garrick also insisted that I _not_ tell him what wand chose Harry Potter in the other timelines, but that he would tell me when I returned to work on the fifth of August.

Monday the fifth of August saw me come into the shop promptly at 7:30 to learn that Harry Potter was once again chosen by the eleven and three quarter inch supple Holly-wood wand with the phoenix tail feather core that was the brother wand to Lord Voldemort's. I also found out that Headmaster Dumbledore had asked to be notified when the wand sold, and to whom, since it was his phoenix that had given both core feathers.

I asked, "Master Garrick, if Headmaster Dumbledore's phoenix were to give another feather, would it be possible to craft a second wand that would likely choose Harry? If so, would that wand be weaker than the two that already have that particular phoenix's feathers?"

"That is a good question. I only rarely make twin wands, or duplicate wands that I have already made. It is not good for business to do so, since part of any magical signature picked up at say, the scene of a crime, is driven by the wand as well as by the wizard. Two identical wands will make two _different_ signatures, but the differences are subtle enough to fool many at first glance.

In Harry Potter's case, I can try to make a duplicate wand. However, I am very leery of doing so, since I would have to in good conscience destroy the wand if it doesn't choose Mr. Potter. I don't make wands to destroy them.

Changing the subject, Master Garrick said, "I also have not seen your friend Mr. Longbottom?"

"And sadly, you will not before the seventh of September at the earliest."

"Why do you believe that I will see him that late, then?" he asked.

"I will befriend Neville at the first realistic opportunity and have him try my second wand. He will feel what a wand feels like that doesn't reject you, and will quickly gain confidence. I will have him do this at least once in front of a Professor. Finally, I will write Madam Longbottom directly and I'll ask Harry to do the same. If not the seventh or eighth, then the fourteenth or fifteenth. If I am obliged to front Neville the money, it will be the twenty-first or twenty-second, but I don't expect things to come to that."

"You wanted Neville to have an Auror Holster as well?"

"Yes, Master Garrick. Once Madam Longbottom is in your shop, she will believe your discretely offering such a holster at cost a tribute to her son and an encouragement to her grandson to follow in his father's footsteps. She will pay up, say nothing where nothing needs to be said, and will be much more favourably disposed towards you; not that I am aware of the two of you having any difficulties."

"And what of Harry Potter's holster, Ron?"

"With your permission, I'll discretely take that home with me this evening and pack it. I 'pinned' my left one myself. I can certainly pin his as well."

An Auror Holster is bound to it's owner by being "pinned" through the base rune of the rune matrix from the outside though the elbow-end strap into the arm of the wearer, then the pin is withdrawn. The now owner's blood is drawn through the pinhole, is absorbed by the rune matrix, and binds or 'pins' the holster to the wearer.

The wearer themselves can remove the holster if not under duress. While another _can_ remove the holster without destroying it, or the rune matrix, the method is not generally known, and takes enough time that healers typically cut the holster off, which in itself is not easily done unless the wearer is unconscious.

The person or people holding the pin can _also_ remove an Auror Holster easily, either with the wearer's consent, or if the wearer is unconscious. So, while you shouldn't necessarily pin your own holster, you should _absolutely_ trust the one you have pin your holster for you.

An Auror Holster can be "re-pinned" numerous times for the same wearer. However, they can only be given to a different person after a rather drawn-out purification ritual. So, while wands can pass from generation to generation, an Auror Holster not otherwise worn-out is usually consigned to the same fate as the body of the wizard or witch who wore it.

Master Garrick said, "Very well. I've a block of Lebanese Cedar I'll be working on; it should yield several interesting wands. You have a rush order for Isaias Smith. His son Zacharias is starting this year, and didn't realize that they would need his grandmother's wand reconditioned to get it to fully bind to him. They left it just moments before you arrived, and were rather rude. If you 'scrap' the wand, I will not get upset this one time. If it matches your usual standards of workmanship, you may keep the surcharge, and the wand WILL GET THE TRACE."

"Of course, Master Garrick, I'll start immediately."

Zach Smith's 'heirloom' wand had belonged to his grandmother Hepzibah. That had sobered me up, since I saw the Pensieve memories associated with her murder at the hands of Voldemort years after the war one night when Harry was particularly maudlin.

The wand was also tip-chipped, the shaft was slightly cracked, and the finish was beyond finished. The fucking gits even used _steel wool_ on it! I told Master Garrick about this immediately, and discovered another secret about the shop.

There is a second, smaller workroom with a cot, cooler box, commode, and cot. This mini-workroom was also a time-turner equipped chamber that would "move" for up to three days. He sent an order to the Leakey for the "standard bundle at once" via paper airplane. Tom himself delivered it twenty minutes later, huffing and puffing as he came in.

Master Garrick paid Tom, kept the receipt, and sent the three days worth of food and coffee, any supplies I might possibly need, the chips I summoned from the "1823 Maple" box, the wand, and me into the entryway of the workroom.

He said, "When I close the door and turn the handle, the lamps will turn red. When the lamps turn green, go into the main workroom and start the wand. You will have everything you should need. The exit end will not unlock until all seventy-two hours have passed. A loud gong will sound thirty minutes before the exit will open, and again when the exit will open. Do not linger in the chamber after the second gong. You will only keep yourself waiting. Do you have any questions?"

Telling Master Garrick that I had no questions, he sent me into the chamber. The next three days, minus the short occasional nap, were very busy, very claustrophobic, and very boring. I had to do just about every possible trick and job I had ever learnt for reconditioning a wand, including the biggest draught of 'tired wand Murtlap" I have seen a wand "drink" in my life. I cleaned, silver-wooled, and cleaned some more. I glued and sealed _two major_ cracks, and the tip chip patch almost refused to take. Seventy-one hours and fifty-five minutes saw me buffing off the last of the last coat of polish on a like-new appearing wand.

As soon as the second gong sounded, I opened the door and was out of there like a shot! While I took no chances with Zach Smith's wand, I wasted no time getting the trash and myself out of there. Despite having food, drink and a cot, I was physically and emotionally wiped out. With the last of my stuff out of there, Master Garrick hit the bed with a cleaning charm and a bed-making charm, and closed the door.

Master Garrick told me, "You may go home if you wish."

I answered, asking, "Do you have a pepper-up? And will the Smith's bill cover a delivery of Shepard's Pie and coffee?"

Master Garrick answered, "Yes to both, Ron. You wish to see your happy customer take delivery of a wand that will cost him the equivalent of seventeen new ones, even if it is a stick?"

"Absolutely, Master Garrick, but this is no stick! Give it a wave…"

He took the wand and tested it. He received a thick fountain of black and yellow sparks, a brilliant instant _Lumos,_ _an_ instant total _Nox,_ and a flock of happy songbirds so large that it took _two_ _finites_ to catch them all.

He said, "This is just as eager a wand as it was the day my father made it, it was eager enough to be mentioned in his shop diary. It was _not_ a custom job. In fact, two others before the elder Madam Smith tried it and were close matches, though not close enough that he would sell to them. However, my father and I both tracked these things, each in our time. The other two 'close' matches, like the elder Madam Smith herself both sorted into Hufflepuff as well."

"Master Garrick, most of me hopes that Zacharias Smith treats this wand with respect. The rest of me is almost hoping for a Septimus Weasley Special."

"I don't see that happening, Ron. You didn't actually cast with the wand, did you?"

"Not beyond the normal wand-crafting spells to find the chips from the chip box, seal the cracks, draw the Murtlap, and so on."

"What about your grandfather's wand?"

"I had used it quite a bit, actually. If I needed a wand quickly in the summer, Charlie _always_ left it around."

"So you are comparing the healing casting of a wand crafter to the firm hand of a Field Auror? Though your hand both times, they were _not_ the same hand. You are a good apprentice, and would make a good journeyman as well as a good Field Auror or Battle Mage that you had been because you _can_ cast differently. Most wizards and witches cannot _. I_ cannot. Albus _Dumbledore_ cannot.

"The cast of a Field Auror _demands_ obedience and _guarantees_ care in return. With Charlie's rough treatment of the wand, it assumed that it had been _taken,_ and was _refusing_ to change its allegiance.

"I remember Septimus Weasley. If you won _his_ allegiance, and someone unjustly attacked you, _there would be blood._ I would guess that his wand would be the same."

Two shepherd's pies arrived half an hour later, accompanied by a pint of ale, a bottle of Butterbeer, and a carafe of coffee. They also made the bill.

Isaias and Zacharias Smith arrived promptly at 1:00. Save the age difference, they looked identical. They were also identically rude.

"So, Ollivander, do you have my son's wand?' Isaias pronounced, as if were _his_ shop, and not Master Garrick's.

Master Garrick decided to drop the last hint of civility, at least by his standards. "Apprentice Weasley, drop your charm."

I did so, and introduced myself. "Apprentice Ron Weasley. Once you've paid Master Garrick, your son will be allowed to wave the wand to see if it _chooses_ him or not, though I suspect it will. It has only ever chosen _true_ Hufflepuffs."

Both Smiths were rather taken aback at this. But, if Isaias were to renege on payment for his last minute demand for service, he would be rather lucky to be served on the Alley again _full stop,_ much less in anything resembling "on time."

Isaias enquired, "What are the charges?"

Master Garrick replied coldly, "One hundred sixty Galleons."

Both Smiths paled visibly. Isaias stuttered, "But that's….that's…"

Master Garrick cut in, "Roughly sixteen times the going rate, depending on which particular wand chooses you. The job required three days. That's _seventy-two hours, plus overtime._ No other shop on the Alley can deliver three days worth of work in six hours. I guarantee it. Even at one hundred sixty galleons, I am losing money. "

"But surely you had your new apprentice mind the counter, so you didn't lose sales outright?"

"Mr. Smith, _my apprentice reconditioned your wand. You do not have enough money to pay_ _me_ _to do so._ Had you brought the wand in on a normal timeline, to allow you to decide on the value you would be receiving, your bill would have been _much lower._ But it still would have been less expensive had you bought a new wand.

"Which is young Mr. Smith's wand hand?"

Zacharias nervously held out his right hand. Master Garrick said, "Take the wand and give it a wave."

Zacharias took the wand, and waved it. He was rewarded with a thick full shower of black and yellow sparks.

Master Garrick took the wand and handed it to me. I pressed it against the Trace stone and gave it a gentle, FULL push. The tape register chimed. Master Garrick and I both looked below the counter. The register printed _three_ tapes, where the normal was one.

Master Garrick handed the wand to Zacharias again. He asked, "Wave the wand again."

Zacharias did so, and received another full shower of yellow and black sparks.

Master Garrick coldly told the elder Smith, "That will be one hundred sixty Galleons."

While Isaias was _not_ happy, the wand looked like new, and chose Zacharias without reservation. He now had the unenviable choice of paying an admittedly exorbitant bill for top-quality services rendered, or never being able to shop in Magical Britain ever again after _trying_ to stiff us on our bill. Master Garrick had rightly earned a reputation on the Alley of being scrupulously honest in all of his dealings. And while the elder Smith _might_ win when we sued him, he'd likely pay far more than one hundred sixty Galleons in bribes to do so.

The elder Smith blanched snow white. He took his money pouch, counted out one hundred sixty Galleons into sixteen stacks of ten Galleons each, and placed them closely together. Master Garrick brushed the stacks with the fingers of his right hand, counted the first stack, and eyed the edges of the other stacks as he scooped them off of the counter.

Master Garrick examined the receipt, and gave it to Isaias marked "Paid in Full."

Master Garrick added, "There were three days per diem involved as well, but I've waived them."

Isaias asked astonished, " _Three days per diem?"_

Master Garrick replied, "How I operate my business is a trade secret. But if I bill you for seventy-two hours of labour in less than seven hours, then there were seventy-two hours back to back, and my employees _will be fed._ I bid the two of you a good day, gentlemen."

With their welcome clearly expired, both Smiths left the shop. It was now 1:40. Master Garrick announced, "Outside of the 'box,' it was a fairly good day, I sold five wands, received three for reconditioning, and had the Bowles and Edgecombe orders paid for and picked up. You can leave now, but I put you out at two on your time card. And, here's a bonus."

With that, he put the one hundred sixty Galleons in a bank bag and handed it to me. He said, "It may sound cheap of me, but please bring the empty bag back in the morning, right?"

"No problem, Master Garrick! I'll see you tomorrow?" With Master Garrick's nod of dismissal, I took the shop Floo directly home. While I didn't _think_ that the Smiths would accost me demanding a discount or refund, I wasn't taking any chances. I also had an unpinned Auror Holster on my person, which I did not want to have go on 'walkabout.'

§§§

When Ginny's, Luna's, and my GCSE scores finally did come in, to our Muggle Post Office box on August 14th, we had all earned A-stars on all of our exams! We also had a number of polite letters from several Universities enquiring if we were interested in applying to attend. We wrote back that we had already been selected for a very exclusive school that specialized in the subjects for our family business, which was also why we had taken the GCSEs when we did. And that yes, we really _were_ only eleven and ten, and that yes, we really _were_ home-schooled, and that yes, it really was _legal_ for us to be home-schooled as well. Not bad for three wizarding kids from rural Devon.

Two days after we got our results, Algernon Croaker came into the shop and asked to speak to me.

"Congratulations, Mage Weasley, on your test results and your sister's. Do you believe these test results will help you in your Hogwarts Mission?"

"Yes, Croaker I do, in both Ginny's case and mine, and in Luna's as well. Ginny and Luna aren't DOM yet, though, and for that matter, you haven't asked what my mission is?"

"Mage Weasley, have you ever wasted my time, or the Ministry's money?"

"No, Croaker."

"Pandora Lovegood has already shown me your results, and turned in an expense report on your behalf. DOM has already paid her for her expenses, including those for Luna. We have already paid you for yours, your sister's, and your mother's. Make sure they get the money in a way that they will accept and not question.

"Do you know enough to describe your mission yet? Do I need to know, yet?"

I thought for a full minute. I answered, "No, and no, Croaker. I anticipate turning in a preliminary report no later than early June of 1992 'eyes only' to you. If you should need to change the classification, you will of course do so, and inform me of the changes that _I_ need to know?"

"Yes, Mage Weasley. Congratulations to you, and enjoy your year at school. Good day."

"You're welcome, and a good day to you too, Croaker."

With that, he left the shop. If you were wondering, Croaker is just 'Croaker' if you work for him. "Diagon Holdings" also paid me a monthly retainer of five galleons after the first deposit of thirteen galleons, thirteen and thirteen in March of 1990. So there was no confusion that some of my continuing part-time employment was not to be spoken of.

§§§

The thirty-first of August was a busy day for me, but I didn't go in to the shop. My last day before Hogwarts started had been the previous day. I actually left the shop early to go home, finish the last of my packing and potions brewing, and make sure that on Sunday Morning all I had to do was get dressed and load my trunk into the car, along with Lucky Boy's carrier.

Saturday consisted mostly of cooking. I had persuaded Mum to fix her corned beef for supper Wednesday, a nice ham on Thursday, and _three_ roast chickens on Friday, to make sure I had enough meat for sandwich spreads.

Between grinding the meats, adding the condiments, hand making the mayonnaise, and the like; I made deviled ham salad, corned beef salad, and chicken salad for sandwiches for Sunday. I also put three loaves of bread in the oven, to make sure that there would be enough bread for Sunday. While three loaves might sound like overkill, remember that we Weasleys bake all of our own bread, we had seven people living in the house, and the bread would be subject to supper that night and breakfast the following morning, with the potential of feeding sandwiches to as many as _three_ Weasleys plus Harry Potter.

I also made a large batch of potato salad. Mum would serve some of that alongside some of the sandwich spreads with bread that she had baked Friday for lunch.

That afternoon, while my bread was baking, I visited Madam Malkin's to discretely ask a few questions. Madam Malkin herself was in.

"Do you have Harry Potter's measurements on file?" I asked.

Not knowing why I was enquiring, she was shocked. She said, "I thought you worked _on the Alley!_ Why are you asking this?"

I replied, "Not to embarrass or stalk him in any way. I know things not generally known, and will speak no more of it. Do you have them?"

After a minute, she answered, "I have everything from hat to shoes. _Why?_ "

"If he had to borrow clothing that would fit me, would it fit him?"

Whatever she was looking for, she found it and did not find it wanting. "If he were in need, he could borrow your clothing without embarrassment or discomfort, though he would be happier, I'm sure with his own. Your shoes are too small for him."

I looked her in the eye, and answered, "If either he or I were to send a letter requesting such, could you send him a complete Muggle wardrobe?"

Pausing, she answered, "I could do this. Anything needing further tailoring or needing charms could be handled in Hogsmeade."

"Thank you, Madam Malkin," I answered. "Please don't speak or even think of this conversation. But, be ready to send on application, a complete Muggle wardrobe, from cap to trainers."

"If either he or you send me an owl post, the order will be filled."

"Thank you, Madam Malkin," I said as I left.

§§§

Later that night, I had Percy join me, on top of the hill. I had two tokkuri of sake and two saucers with me. I told him, "A philosopher I once read wrote that no one should enter Nirvana without the taste of good sake on his lips."

He nodded at me. I poured some of the tokkuri on the ground next to the Stone. I poured sake into each of our saucers, and spoke again.

"The same philosopher also wrote: 'Spring brings cherry blossoms to comfort you, the summer stars, the harvest moon in fall, and the powdered snow in winter. All of these things, and the promise of them, is what makes sake taste so good. One day, you will understand this, and then I shall pour sake for the both of us.' I hope I've not poured too soon, Arthur."

"Heaven forbid, Ronald. Ignatius would not be happy. His kid brother being a philosopher, yet his older twin being a lightweight? Heaven forbid, indeed."

I answered, "I was thinking a few weeks back, when Ginny and I celebrated the end of our GCSE testing. Pandora treated us to sushi and me to sashimi and sake as well. I realized that I have never shared sake with you. Since we only move forward through time, I decided to share some with Ignatius and you, before 'I wish I would' became 'I wish I had.' You realize that I have approached Death himself four times in two years, and that was amongst friends and family.

"I will also make a friend tomorrow. He will have no living memory of his parents. He will want to visit their graves. I've been to the graves of most of our departed relatives of recent memory. Before tonight, though, I haven't visited my older brother. I couldn't look my friend in the eye and accompany him to the graves of his parents without having visited with Ignatius at least once.

"Is this only the second time you've been up here?" I asked. He nodded sadly, and raised his saucer.

We finished both tokkuri, with a little more shared with Ignatius. Arthur asked, "You're just a kid! I remember when Mum had you, if I try really hard. Where do you come up with this shite?"

"I _listen,_ Arthur. At least on my better days, anyhow. Since learning of Ignatius passing, I have also wondered if _I_ would have the courage to travel that distant road he travels, or the courage _you_ have in _not_ doing so.

"We will go to London tomorrow, and then to Hogwarts. You will be one of six prefects for Gryffindor House. Hopefully, I'll be there with you. I would ask only that you would be the prefect that _you_ wanted when you were a firstie, whatever house I'm in.

"The Twins will keep taking the Mick. They always do. Don't let them take the _Arthur,_ too. Persevere, as you are called to do. But, don't forget to _live,_ and don't forget to be one with whom others would _choose_ to live."

We sat in silence, lost in our own thoughts, for several minutes. Without a word, he handed me his saucer, and we descended the hill to join our _living_ family. Half-five in the morning would come more than quickly enough. I took a shower and went to sleep, not caring if Percy, or if _anyone_ could guess my true age. After the last two years, their guess would have been as good as mine, if not better.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The "great philosopher" would be Nobuhiro Watsuki


	6. Chapter 6, The Hogwarts Express

**AN: If "easily offended," you should skip between xxxxx and zzzzz.**

 **Chapter 6, "The Hogwarts Express," where trains are caught, friendships are made, and…**

"Ron, wake up." accompanied Dad's shaking my shoulder to wake me up.

I sat up quickly, barely missing Dad's head as I did.

Before I could truly get panicked, he said, "Nothing's wrong, Ron. I just wanted to see you off when you left for London, if not seeing you off at the station. But Dispatch called me in for a biting Wok in Wokking half an hour ago. Bit of a mess there. It's almost half-five, so I decided to wake you up before I left."

"How quickly do you have to go in?" I asked.

"I'm already behind the time now. But not by much, so no worries. I do need to Apparate in as soon as I hug you good bye and wish you good luck, though."

I hugged him and said, "Thanks for waking me, and for seeing me off _somehow._ I'll be sure to write Mum and you as soon as I can."

"Good luck, Ron. If we don't go to Romania to visit your brother, I'll see you at Christmas."

"Thanks, Dad" I replied. He walked out of the door and closed it behind him.

It was half-five in the morning of September first. Dad woke Mum and me up earlier because of the biting wok. But everyone had to get up to get ready for the drive to London. It was about a four-hour drive, but Mum was taking no chances! We had to leave by six in the morning in order to be sure of making the station by 10:30, just in case there was traffic in the City.

I had showered the night before, and had slept in only my t-shirt and boxers. I quickly dressed, even putting my trainers on though we normally didn't wear our shoes in the house. My next task was to get my trunk out to and in the car without anyone noticing. The Twins were still in the bathroom, Percy was still packing the last of his books, and Ginny was still debating in her head whether she might be happier just going over to Luna's and going back to sleep.

I could levitate the trunk just fine without it, but I activated the feather-light charm on the trunk anyway, and took it all the way out to the car in one go. Mum had left the boot unlocked, so I pushed the button, opened the lid, and moved my trunk smartly into the boot. After cancelling the feather-light charm, I closed the trunk, and went back into the kitchen. Mum hadn't started breakfast, so I grabbed the basket and went out to the chicken coop. Fourteen eggs later, I decided that this morning's fry-up was definitely "scrambled," and went back to the house.

Pandora Lovegood, with a very sleepy looking Luna in tow Apparated to the back landing just as I was coming around. I said, "Let yourselves in. With the two of you, I need four more eggs. If you can start some streaky bacon, sausage, or something? I haven't seen Mum yet." I handed them the basket, un-tucked my t-shirt, and went to fetch the last of the eggs.

Returning to the kitchen, I gave the additional four eggs to Luna and Pandora, who were helping Mum. I checked the fridge for the three split sandwiches I had made the night before, and the two bowls of potato salad. Seeing that they hadn't been tampered with, I took them out, and loaded them in the picnic basket I had borrowed from Pandora the week before for the train ride. Right after I did that, Percy came through with his trunk.

I helped Percy load his trunk into the boot, and went back inside. Pandora gave me the picnic basket and said, "I finished packing it for you. In addition to the sandwiches to share and potato salad, I've set two plates of your favourite appetizer…"

"Don't bother being subtle, Pandora – Lucky Boy knows just as much as we do. I'm guessing that the one plate for me and whomever has some wasabi on the side?"

"Yes. I've _seen_ your friend, and I've packed for the two of you. You'll want to get it into the car. I've keyed the basket to your magic. You know how to unkey it once the Twins can't mess with it."

I carried the basket out to the boot right as the twins were loading the last of their two trunks. I placed the basket on top of the lot, and closed the boot lid.

With the last of the baggage loaded, we sat down to a quick but filling breakfast. With Dad having topped the petrol last night for Mum, we left the driveway at 6:00 in the morning for London King's Cross Station.

As we got on to the A30, I thought that Mum was either a very good actor, or that sometimes she just missed things. An Anglia 105E is not a roomy car at all, and a purely Muggle one will hold five people only if the three in the back are children. Mum and I were up front, I was up to help her navigate. Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny were in the back, with Lucky Boy being particularly friendly by stretching across their laps. No one was crowded in back, and only Ginny could still count as small. For all the fretting Mum did about the flying booster charms Dad put on the car, the expansion charms on the back seat and the boot just went past her. Maybe that was part of why Dad told her about the flying charms.

§§§

I was terribly nervous as we pulled in to the car park by King's Cross Station some four hours and twenty-five minutes later. There was a magical parking section almost on top of the station doors that was charmed to appear to Muggles as being full of busses and police cars. On most days it was. On Hogwarts Express days, though, magicals who had cars such as us, or the Muggle parents of Muggle-borns with a special parking pass on their windshield that let them see through the illusion would use it for relatively convenient parking. Even in London, there was only so far you could walk carrying a largish trunk with a caged owl before people started to notice.

After parking our old Anglia, Mum sent Percy and the Twins to fetch three trolleys. The Twins would share one as they always had, and Percy and I would each have one.

While waiting for the trolleys, and hoping we didn't miss Harry, I decided to ask Mum something that always bothered me once I thought about it, but never thought to ask about in three lifetimes. "Mum, why do we make such a spectacle when we go into Platform Nine and Three Quarters? Doesn't it risk breaking the Statute of Secrecy?"

"Not at all, Ronald. When I was a third year, there was a Muggle-born first-year girl who didn't get the full tour from the Hogwarts Teachers. There used to be signs hung just like the magical car park, that were only visible to us magicals, but they had been taken down by the Ministry the year prior. Without the signs or the tour to help her find the platform, she missed the train. Even worse, she and her parents were robbed and almost killed. To make things even worse still, the Ministry tried to blame HER for being robbed.

"You must not have noticed that I always put light Muggle-repellent charms and Muggle-only notice-me-not charms on all of our trolleys. Not only do the Muggles not notice stuff like owl cages, but they just ignore us or head the other way none the wiser. If you're not magical, you won't really notice that we're there.

"If I walked up to someone looking lost and told them 'I'm a witch looking for Hogwarts Stragglers,' they would be scared. If I asked a Muggle by mistake, there would be a serious problem. But, with the spell work driving the Muggles away, and the lost magicals hearing us blather on about all the Muggles, Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and Hogwarts, plus seeing Hermes and Lucky Boy in their cages this year, any Muggle-borns will flock right to us.

"I rounded up THREE Muggle-born first years the first year I brought Bill, and another one each for Charlie's and Percy's first year. All five of those Muggle-born students not only made the train instead of missing it, but they have all remained friends with the Weasley their age that helped them on the train."

I thought for a moment. That would explain why Bill made those Muggle-born friends of his who he went off with to hire on with Gringotts as a curse-breaker. That also explained Charlie's friend Joe, who he worked with at the Dragon Preserve in Romania. And that would be the _only_ way that Percy would have made friends with Penelope Clearwater.

Mum wrapped-up her explanation. "The teachers have gotten better, but they still miss one or two somehow once in a while. Until the Ministry puts the signs back up, you do what you can."

Mum finished just as Percy and the Twins showed up with the trolleys. We loaded up, and I almost didn't see Mum's charm work. She was not only a witch, but an illusionist as well.

So, our merry band of Weasleys trooped into the station, hoping that ten minutes would be enough to get four Weasleys and possibly one Muggle-born or Muggle-raised straggler onto one train. I was pretty sure at least _one_ was out there, and if he was, I _really_ didn't want to miss him.

Lucky Boy sniffed at my picnic basket from his cage. I told him "Wait a while. I'll set you a snack once we're on the train and moving. Your appetite is worse than mine, and _I_ don't even know where I put it all." Mum, meanwhile, put on her show about the station being "packed with Muggles, of course" and asking Ginny what platform we were looking for.

As Ginny answered "Platform Nine and Three Quarters! Mum can't I go?" a boy approached us at almost a run. But he was not just any boy. For the first time in thirty-eight years, I saw my first true friend with my own eyes.

Of course, he was also eleven, scared he would miss the train, and had no idea who I was. First meetings can be funny things. I was hoping that I hadn't bollixed this one up. I walked towards him, waving him towards me as I did. He walked up, pushing his trolley along with him. I asked him "Hogwarts first-year?" He nodded shyly.

I answer, "Cool! Mum's routine worked. I can help you get on the platform and the train if you want?" He nodded, giving me a lop-sided grin and blushing slightly.

I continued as Harry and I walked towards my trolley "I'm probably more nervous than you, really. I grew up in the country just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole, which the Muggles call Ottery St. Mary; and Mum home-schooled us. So, you're the first guy my age I'm actually getting to make friends with!" I grinned at Harry, and he grinned back.

I grabbed my trolley and started pushing it alongside Harry's. I told him "Look at the second pillar back between tracks nine and ten." He looked just as the last of the Twins ran through and vanished.

I continued, "That pillar is a doorway covered with an illusion whenever a magical train is running. This is the only magical train platform for all of London. Let's run at it! I'll go first, and you follow right behind. My mum and sister will be behind us, so it's all good."

I built up speed and pulled ahead, hearing him keep up behind me. As I passed through to the platform, I heard Harry come through behind me and slow down. I let him get next to me again and started talking.

"Wicked, huh?" I asked.

Harry nodded in breathless astonishment, his head on a swivel. I suggested, "If you want us to sit together, we should walk towards the rear of the train. The closer ones always fill up first." He nodded with a blush, and we both walked to the second carriage from the end, which was still quite empty.

I suggested, "I can carry our animals and the picnic basket into our compartment while you catch your breath. Then, we can work together getting our trunks up the steps one at a time." Harry nodded, and handed up his owl.

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Hedwig" he answered.

"Pretty name for a pretty owl" I replied. Hedwig barked in approval and Harry blushed again, grinning all the while.

I went to the second compartment down from the vestibule and found it empty. I set Hedwig's cage on the left parcel shelf and went back.

I came back for Lucky Boy, and Harry asked his name. I answered "Lucky Boy. There's a story behind it I can tell you later." Lucky Boy and his cage went up on the shelf next to Hedwig.

The next trip saw me carrying the picnic basket. With it stowed away, it was finally time for the battle of the trunks. We got Harry's first, carrying it into the compartment in one go. We slid it under one bench seat and went back for mine. We got it on and slid under the other seat. By that time, we were ready to set down for a few moments.

No time like the present for introductions, I decided. "By the way, name's Ron Weasley."

I extend my hand and he shook it, answering "Harry Potter."

This time, we _both_ blushed, and I felt a jolt like a spark of static electricity.

Despite promising myself that I wouldn't, I asked, "Do you have, you know…"

He lifted his fringe, showing the scar. His grin was more nervous than before. I gasped, "Wicked," my mouth getting away from me again.

But I guess I got lucky. The "nervous" went away. The grin remained, possibly happier than before.

I told him, "We need to get off the train for a second and tell my mum 'bye.' When I introduce you, do you want me to give your last name, or just 'Harry'?"

"Just 'Harry' will be fine," he answered.

We got off the train, finding Mum and Ginny barely half a carriage down. We walked up to them and I said, "Mum, Harry and I helped each other get our stuff on the train. Harry, this is my Mum, Molly Weasley. Mum, this is Harry."

Harry reached out his hand to her. She shook it, and then surprised both of us by taking Harry into a light hug. While doing this, she gave a sharp glance at Ginny silently suggesting that little girls who wanted lunch wouldn't ask Ronnie's new friend where he left his family name.

When Mum let Harry go, Ginny blushed beet-red, but held out her hand and he shook it. "Ginny Weasley, Harry. It's nice to meet you. At least you won't go hungry on the train, providing Ron and his crazy Kneazle don't eat it all first. Ron's a good cook, but a better eater!"

"Ginny! I'm not _that_ big of a pig" I retort.

"MRROW" added Lucky Boy from my shoulder.

"Ron, I thought I asked you to keep Lucky Boy in his cage," Mum said, while shaking her head.

"We forgot to ask him to _stay_ in his cage, Mum. We both know that cage has _no door._ "

Lucky Boy meowed again, holding his paw out toward Harry. Harry shook it gently, saying "I'm Harry. Nice to meet you." The Kneazle purred loudly twice, and disappeared.

"Back in his cage" I announced as Harry started looking around for where Lucky Boy vanished.

Percy and the Twins chose that moment to walk up and say their goodbyes to Mum and Ginny. Percy had already changed into his uniform, complete with Prefect badge. "Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front; the prefects have two compartments to themselves…"

Fred and George started to take the piss from Percy. Mum and the train whistle stopped them cold.

"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway," one of the Twins asked.

I retort, "Because there's only one of him, and two of you."

Mum finished with "Boys, _behave._ Get on the train. We each kissed Mum and hugged Ginny in turn. Percy sprinted forward a few cars before getting on to walk the rest of the way inside the train. Fred and George got on two cars ahead of us. Harry and I went back to our compartment and opened the centre window to be able to hear outside the carriage. We waved at Mum and Ginny as the train started moving. Ginny chased our compartment, waving as she went, until we were moving too fast for her to keep up. Harry and I finally sat down again.

"That's two I got over on the Twins today. Doesn't happen that often."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Simple. Mum has put on the act you saw in the platform area every year since my oldest brother, who graduated two years ago, was a first year. She charms the trolleys so actual Muggles stay away and don't notice. Only lost first-years who can't find the platform will notice us. She got three stragglers for Bill, and they were the best of friends all seven years. My next oldest brother Charlie, who graduated last year, got one. The two of them work together in the Dragon Reserve in Romania. Percy got Penelope Clearwater for his first year. They've been friends ever since, and I think they might be working up the nerve to start dating soon. I've met you, and you're a great guy. The Twins were left out, for once. That's one.

"I'm _your_ friend, Harry, not the scar's or the fame's. But while I'm sure the celebrity crap got real old real fast, it _is_ there. And unlike Mum and Ginny, Fred and George, and Percy come to that, won't even _know_ until we're sorted! _That's_ two." Harry and I both laughed over that.

"Is your entire family magical?" Harry asked.

"Mum has a second cousin who is a Squib, but he drifted away. A Squib is the opposite of a Muggle-born. They are born to a magical family, but don't have enough magic to use. Some families get along and keep in touch with Squibs born in their families. In other cases, the Squibs drift away since they can't do any magic, and in other cases, the families run their Squib relatives off. Some Dark families were actually rumoured to kill any Squibs born to them.

"But yeah, Mum, Dad, six siblings, two post owls, one familiar and me. All magical, along with all of our relatives I know of, other than Mum's second cousin who works as an accountant somewhere."

"So, you must know loads of magic already then" Harry said sadly.

"Cheer up, Harry!" I answered. "I know some, but not as much as you might be thinking. And my circumstances are a little different from most. I'll teach you what I know, and we'll both learn the rest together. No magical kid is allowed to get their first new wand until they're accepted to a magical school, which here in the UK is the year where you are eleven before September First like us. While some wizard kids get their first wand as an 'heirloom' or 'hand-me-down' like my second wand, you don't _really_ start learning magic until you get to school. So don't worry. If you study hard and pay attention in class, you'll do just fine. After all, your Mum was Muggle-born, and she had the highest grades overall in her year, along with getting all Outstandings on her NEWTs and being Head Girl the year she graduated."

" _You_ know about my _Mum_?" he asked.

"I've studied both the Grindelwald and Voldemort wars for years as a hobby. Mum had me write book reports on the subjects to improve my English and writing. Since she was home-schooling all of us kids, she had us study stuff we were interested in where she could. Your Mum and Dad both fought against Voldemort."

"You aren't afraid to say Voldemort's name?"

"No, Harry. He's defeated, at least for now. Most people ARE afraid to say his name because he was the first Dark Wizard criminal to actually put a Taboo on his own made-up name. A Taboo is a spell normally usable only by governments, and even then, they have to have a warrant and can only use the spell for a limited time over a limited area. The Taboo spell detects when a particular word is said, and pinpoints on a map where the word is said. If the wizard or wizards casting it are strong enough, it can even break through unplottable wards, though not a Fidelis Charm.

"This is a clear violation of the Bill of Rights in the UK, and just about anywhere else. So, only the more repressive dictatorships even _think_ of using it, at least as far as governments go.

"Voldemort was able to get his Taboo working on his made-up name at least part of the time. He would go out with his Death Eaters to murder some of the people his Taboo 'caught,' allowing some of those people to 'escape' and spread the word.

This got people so scared that they refused to call him by his name. Headmaster Dumbledore uses Voldemort's name whenever talking about him either because he refuses to believe that Voldemort had at least a partial Taboo working, or because he is the only wizard Voldemort ever feared, and wasn't worried even if he believed the Taboo was working.

"Back to your mum, despite everyone celebrating your survival, it was just as much your Mum who saved you as it was you surviving. To be sure, in order for whatever your Mum did to take, you had to be fairly powerful. But at fifteen months, you were likely doing little more than 'accidental magic.' While your Dad was considered a magically strong wizard, his specialty was Transfiguration, where your Mum was much stronger in Charms, Runes, and Potions. And it would be in Charms and Runes where you would find the means to generate a magical shield or ritual that could reflect back a killing curse."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Harry asked in nervous awe.

"Simple. I don't know if you remember anything from the night _it_ happened. By the way, do you?"

"Just a flash of green light" he replied.

"Just as well, really. It would stink to remember that... My earliest memory is of the Evil Rat Man; about two weeks after your Mum and Dad were killed. Percy, who was just five, found a friendly rat in the back garden and wanted to keep him as a pet. But, I could _feel_ that he was _evil,_ and also what is known as an Animagus.

"An Animagus is a wizard or witch that can change into the form of a single animal that they are born with, not of their own choosing. Not everyone has the capacity to do so, and not all of those bother to learn the difficult Transfiguration required to perform the spell. But some people do, such as Professor McGonagall, your Godfather Sirius Black, and the Evil Rat Man.

"The Evil Rat Man was named Peter Pettigrew. He went to school with your Dad and Godfather, and betrayed your parents and you to Voldemort. He also framed your godfather for that along with the murder of twelve Muggles with a blasting curse, which saw Sirius Black thrown in prison without a trial.

"I obviously didn't sense all _that_ as a toddler, but I _knew_ that he was an Evil Rat Man. So, I 'accidentally' bounced him back into his human form, vanished his left sleeve so his Dark Mark was visible, asked Mum and Dad to turn him in instead of killing him, and promptly passed out from magical exhaustion. I woke up the following evening, and by then Pettigrew was already in Azkaban, and your Godfather in St Mungo's Hospital."

"I have a _godfather?"_ Harry gasped in shock. " _Why…"_

"I don't know why you haven't met him yet, Harry. I can only guess.

"I learned all this stuff because I _wanted_ to, and I wanted to because part if it happened _right in my kitchen,_ in my _home,_ where I _should_ have been safe. My Mum lost her two older brothers in the war. They were twins, born on the first of April of 1951, and Fred and George were kinda named for them. They were Fabian and Gideon Prewett.

"As for your Godfather, Headmaster Dumbledore had a restraining order put on him to keep him away from your relatives and you. Based on the little known and little-talked about fact that Dumbledore is the greatest non-Dark Haemomancer, which is one who practices blood-magic, of this century or the last; I'm thinking blood wards.

"If a person willingly dies in your place out of love for you, that creates a powerful connection. If you lay a bunch of Charms and Runes on top of that like the few people who really _studied_ what happened believe your Mum did, this becomes a powerful _protection_ that lives in your very blood.

"A ward is a magical barrier that prevents some things from passing through it, but allowing other things to pass. There are many types of wards. A blood ward is created with blood, and most are actually considered Dark, even if they are not really, since most Haemomancy, or blood-magic is considered Dark.

"Wards based on the blood of someone who died the way your Mum did can truly be powerful. However, they rely on a blood connection of the persons protected. Since your Mum loved you as her child, the blood ward had to be anchored to a blood relative other than you who would take her place protecting you, as your Mum would have, such as one of your Mum's siblings or one of your maternal grandparents. The only person left who was still alive when your Mum passed that would work would be your Aunt Petunia.

"And you _need_ that protection. Because it was Voldemort himself who killed your Mum, all of his marked followers, known as Death Eaters, are unable to attack your home. Dumbledore likely was able to add Dark creatures to the mix as well, protecting you from things like Werewolves."

"Werewolves are _real_?" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes. Most are alright chaps except for the night of the full moon. I actually used to mow one's lawn before today. But the ones who aren't _really_ aren't. The most notorious one of those is Fenrir Greyback, who served Voldemort without being marked, and has never been captured for more than a day in twenty-five years.

"Many of Voldemort's followers also avoided going to Azkaban, the wizard prison, by paying bribes and claiming they were under a spell called the Imperius Curse, and that had them doing what they did against their will. Since they paid the bribes, they never went to trial to actually _prove_ it.

"Even without a trial, their excuses are pure codswallop. If you actually manage to keep a person under the Imperius doing things they don't want to for more than a few months, they rapidly go insane, at least temporarily, and I mean obviously can't take care of themselves crazy, not something that can be hidden. Many of the Death Eaters followed Voldemort for _ten years._ Not only that, but if you have a strong enough force of mind, even a _Muggle_ can throw the curse eventually, though you have a far better chance if you're a magical.

"But not everyone has the right kind of mental strength to do it. And they often didn't have the time, either. Many people _were_ placed under the Imperius and forced to do _horrible_ things to both strangers and family. That's why the Imperius is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. Under most circumstances, if you cast an Unforgivable on another human, whether magical or Muggle, it's an automatic life sentence in Azkaban.

"But back to your godfather. In the wizarding world, your godparents automatically get custody of you if both your parents die or are otherwise unable to take care of you. Even at the minimum possible strength, the blood wards, which would only work with your Aunt Petunia being your guardian and you living with her, are still more powerful and effective than most other wards you could come up with no matter how much money you had to spend.

"Sirius must have begged to differ, when he finally got out of St. Mungo's eighteen months later. However, Dumbledore is not only the Headmaster of the largest and most prestigious magical school in the UK; he's also the Chief of the Wizengamot, which is like the Speaker of Parliament, but more powerful. This gives him a lot of "behind the scenes" political power. If Dumbledore thought that the blood wards would provide more powerful protection than whatever Sirius Black could buy, then Sirius would be quietly blocked from gaining custody, particularly since the other part of keeping you safe was ensuring that no magicals that might tell the Death Eaters knew where you were."

"So, I'm stuck with the Dursleys…" Harry started to sob.

Surprising both Harry and me, I was across to his bench in a flash and hugging him to my chest. I almost expected him to deck me once my brain caught up with my body, but he just hugged me back, sobbing even harder against me.

There was a knock at the compartment door. I hit Harry with a silent wandless cheering charm and light cleaning charm to dry his face. We separated quickly as the door opened to reveal the trolley lady.

"Anything off the cart, dears?" she asked.

"I'll take the lot!" Harry exclaimed, before I could say anything else.

I added, "I'll take a dozen extra Chocolate Frogs to go with that." Harry and I looked at each other, shouted "Jinx!" and broke out laughing. We each got out our money and paid for our purchases; with Harry's two of everything and my extra dozen Chocolate Frogs, the opposite bench was fairly crowded with candy.

Harry asked, "We split the basket, your stash, and mine, right?"

"You got it," I answered. "Basket first, I recon, so we don't end up with upset stomachs. It's just past noon, and having to drive in to London from Devon meant eating breakfast before sunup. We'll have to eat with the basket between us, while I set my patient familiar's dishes…"

"Mrow." Lucky Boy was sitting on the opposite bench with plenty of room, and the candy was neatly stacked in the corner of the bench next to the window.

"… _right_ where he made room for it. First thing is a Muggle delicacy from Japan. I opened one side of the cold-charmed basket and took out two bottles of Pumpkin Juice. "Not the drink, it's Pumpkin Juice. Don't ask me why wizards came up with pumpkin pie Kool-Aid, but we did, and it's actually really good." I took out one of the plates of Tuna Sashimi that Pandora insisted on packing that morning for both boy and familiar. "The red cubes are the Japanese treat. The small dab of green paste is wasabi. It's like horseradish, but stronger." I took half of the dab of wasabi with one of the two forks from the basket, speared a piece of tuna sashimi, and ate both. I probably could have packed chopsticks, but I figured there would be enough going on without trying to teach Harry how to use chopsticks _again._ The first time was easy enough, but we were nineteen at the time. I never had sashimi with Harriet.

Harry looked at me for a moment like I had lost my mind. He then said, "Next dare's mine," took the rest of the wasabi with his fork, speared another piece, and ate it while (at least) facing away. To his surprise, but not mine, he enjoyed it.

"MROW!" I took the second plate of tuna sashimi and passed it across to my long-suffering Kneazle friend. I took one of the bottles of water that was in the basket along with the pumpkin juice, and poured some into his bowl. Lucky Boy gave two quick purr-bursts and a chirp and started in on his lunch.

"You can afford to feed your Kneazle _Sushi_?" Harry asked.

" _I_ can't. But last year, Lucky Boy and I saved the life of one of our neighbours; Pandora Lovegood. Her daughter Luna will be starting Hogwarts next year. One of her friends works at the Magical Japanese Embassy, and a friend of _that_ friend works at the Imperial Household Agency in Tokyo, that's the Japanese Government Agency in charge of taking care of the Japanese Imperial Family including the Emperor himself. Pandora says that she doesn't get the _sashimi_ or any Sushi for free, but for how little she pays, it's the next best thing. Chunks of raw fish like we're eating are sashimi. Sushi is the little rice rolls, that may have raw fish or cooked fish along with other vegetables and a seaweed wrapper. Magic can make moving stuff here and there so much faster. This sashimi was still swimming off Tokyo Bay when we went to bed last night.

"Cool" Harry said. "The _sashimi_ is great, and I'll want to try some sushi, too. But you still owe me a dare! I dare you to get…"

"Dare later, lunch now" I interrupted. The Sorting Feast won't be until about half-eight or later, and it's still just past noon. If we go on nothing but candy, we'll _both_ be miserable. By the way, where did you come in to King's Cross from, and when did you eat breakfast?"

"Surrey, and I didn't eat…"

I cut him off before I needed to hit him with _another_ cheering charm. "All the better reason to get to the _real_ food first, then! I get that things could be a lot better with your relatives. And when you're ready to talk, I'll listen. But I had to hit you with a wandless cheering charm and cleaning charm to keep you from being embarrassed in front of the trolley lady.

"Cheering and cleaning charms are just what they say on the tin, by the way. I'll try to go easy on them with you, especially the cheering charms, since they _do_ change your mood artificially, but if it was _me_ about to be interrupted like you were, I'd be grateful not to bear my heart to the trolley lady.

Harry, who had been looking at something in his hand, set it on the bench next to the window and put a serviette on top of it. I guessed it was the rest of the wasabi, and hoped that the dare wouldn't include it.

I handed him a plate of potato salad, and said, "I made all of this myself yesterday, and it's quite good. The picnic basked is chilled like a Muggle fridge, so no worries there. I made three sandwiches, each one on bread I baked yesterday. One is devilled ham salad, the next chicken salad, and the last is corned beef salad. I normally _hate_ corned beef, even my Mum's. But, I can eat my corned beef salad alright, so no worries.

"It all sounds great, Ron! Can I have half of each?"

"Sure, Harry" I answered. I handed out sandwich halves, giving each of us one of each kind, and we started eating in earnest, starting with the last of the tuna sashimi. As we quickly and quietly ate, I seemed to feel an extra enjoyment for my food. I also felt frustrated, like I wanted to do something fun, but was being told to wait, and wasn't quite certain I'd be allowed to do it at all. I brushed it off as nerves and continued to eat. After a few minutes of eleven year old boys filling the black holes in their abdomens, we came up for air and talked some more.

"Ron, what is this 'sorting,' and how do the houses work?"

"I'll do the houses first. First, Harry, I _know_ we'll be sorted into the same house, because you'll be sorted first, and we have _some_ say ourselves in how we're sorted. There are four student houses, or dormitory sets at Hogwarts. These houses also determine which students in our year we attend classes with, and we have a Quidditch team for each house for sport.

"The houses are named after the two wizards and two witches who founded Hogwarts. All four houses were always co-ed, though with separate and warded sleeping areas for boys and girls in each. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, and you are sorted into the house whose personality is the best 'fit,' and based on the personality traits most desired by the particular founder for the students they personally taught.

"Godric Gryffindor, the youngest of the Four, was a battle mage and one of the very few people ever to convince a griffin to be ridden like a horse. He valued courage, valour, and integrity. Courage and valour are almost, but not quite the same thing. Helga Hufflepuff, Godric's sister in law, valued loyalty, friendship, and the will to work hard and do your best every day. If attacked, she would fight to the bitter end like a cornered badger. Rowena Ravenclaw, the only true scholar of the four, and the first Headmistress, valued scholarship and intellectual pursuits. She was said to be so lost in research and scholarship that she soared above the common folk like an eagle in the blue. Salazar Slytherin, the oldest of the Four, was a battle mage like Gryffindor; though he was twenty years Gryffindor's elder and beyond spellcasting fought with snakes instead of swords particularly favouring his Basilisk familiar. A basilisk is a type of magical snake that can kill by deliberately giving you a killing glare directly to your eyes as well as being highly poisonous. Since he was a Parselmouth, and could speak and understand the Parseltounge language that all snakes speak, this made his choice in assistants quite logical. He was also Helga Hufflepuff's only rival in the magical science of Herbology, and one of the greatest potions masters of that age. He valued the ambition to succeed despite all odds, and the cunning to avoid needless slaughter wherever possible."

"I can talk to snakes!" Harry exclaimed. "Does this mean I'll go to Slytherin?"

"Not necessarily, Harry, and keep the Parselmouth stuff secret as long as you can! While Parselmouths are valued in India, they are quite rare everywhere, and feared beyond all reasonable thought by most in the UK. The Parselmouth ability ran strong in Salazar Slytherin's bloodline, and not all of his descendants were particularly nice as the centuries passed on. The last direct line from Salazar Slytherin married first into the line of Cadmus Peverell, and from there married the youngest and only magical son of John of Gaunt. Towards the end of the 1600s, this line completely ran off the rails. They routinely married blood cousins, siblings, and so on to the point that they were shunned by the rest of the magical community. They rapidly lost all prominence, and pretty much all of their lands and money. The last of that line was born to Merope Gaunt and a Muggle neighbour she seduced with a 'love potion.' His name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. He is better known as 'Lord Voldemort.'"

Harry gasped, and I continued. "Back to the houses. First, all the houses produced great wizards and witches. In the last war, all of the houses produced Death Eaters, too. But, Voldemort did most of his recruiting for his core followers amongst his fellow Slytherins. And the original and right for the time wariness of Muggle-borns Salazar Slytherin had has always varied amongst the Slytherins between what would be reasonable for the times, and outright bigotry and stupidity.

"Remember all the Death Eaters who bought their way out of Azkaban? Lots of them have kids _our age,_ and who will be our classmates at Hogwarts! None of them has done what their parents did. And not all will agree with their parents. However, a lot _will,_ and most of them will be in Slytherin _._ So, even though we both are probably better _true_ Slytherins than any of them will ever be, Slytherin is _not_ the right house for us, unless you fancy quite literally being murdered in your sleep. The ones Percy's age and older likely play for keeps, and an eleven year old like us might just get stupid and do something they can't take back."

Harry shuddered, and quietly gasped, " _Not Slytherin_ …"

"Just so, but if you go there, so will I, and I'll have your back! You'll have mine, right?"

Harry nodded quickly in agreement.

"On to Ravenclaw, then" I resumed. "Do you fancy studying a _ll the time,_ instead of having other fun, or hanging out with friends? Do you feel an overpowering urge to bully those who don't fit your particular narrow world-view? Sadly, this is the dark side of Ravenclaw. They _do_ attract the best scholars, and aren't that bad of a lot overall, but not even Professor Flitwick; their head of house and the Charms Professor can watch them twenty-four-seven. By the way, how were your marks in primary?"

"Not good" Harry answered ashamedly.

"How would they have been if you weren't dealing with your relatives?" I asked.

"Better" he answered, brightening up a little. "I couldn't work as hard as I wanted, or at least I couldn't let my work show up on my tests or homework. If I did better than Dudley, my cousin, I got in trouble…"

"Got it," I answered. "At Hogwarts, you can work as hard as you want, and for your sake I want you to do your best every day! I'll help you, too. If the Dursleys show signs of continuing like they did, we'll have our head of house send "dummy" report cards showing you doing just under the equivalent of whatever Dudley does at whatever school he goes to.

"Even _Smeltings_?" Harry asked.

I answered, "Hogwarts is a top-shelf school for magic. They can do it."

I continued, "So, if you don't mind every day being 'test day,' and aren't afraid of being made fun of for whatever trips the fancy of the other Ravenclaws, I've got your back there, too. While I'm not _exactly_ Ravenclaw material myself, I _can_ blend in, and honestly earn the grades to do it, helping you along as well."

Harry shook his head, and said, "Not them, either."

I continued, "Ok. Next, we have Hufflepuff. We'll both make great ones if it comes to that. We're both used to hard work. Hufflepuffs are truly loyal and their trust isn't that hard to earn if you're a good person. They'll talk and listen any time you need them too.

"They're also nosy busybodies, and will insist on talking or listening even when you _don't_ want them to! And, if _they_ shun you, it'll hurt more than with any of the other houses.

"Finally, we have Gryffindor. That house certainly has its faults as well. They can be nosy and judgmental as easily as the Hufflepuffs. Their head of house is Professor McGonagall, who is also the Deputy Headmistress, and doesn't necessarily have as much time for head of house stuff as Professor Sprout in Hufflepuff who teaches Herbology, Professor Snape in Slytherin who teaches potions, or Professor Flitwick.

"But Gryffindors stick together almost as good as the Hufflepuffs do, don't shun nearly as hard, and know how to _mind their own business_ when it comes down to that.

"Mind you, I _am_ biased. All of my family that I know, including all of my older brothers and both parents are Gryffindors. But, so were _your_ Mum and Dad. In the end, it's up the Sorting Hat anyway, but they sort the 'P's' before the 'W's,' so I'll have that much time to go the same house as you; even and _especially_ if you go to Slytherin House. If I blow it, I'll still be your best and truest friend, even if you go to Slytherin, and I go to Gryffindor! Those houses have always had a rivalry, since both Gryffindor and Slytherin were battle mages who while friends always competed with each other and sparred together.

"There are many different kinds of courage. I know the kinds I have, and I _feel_ them inside of you. There are other kinds that only we ourselves know we either have or lack. I have at least some of those, and I'm sure you do too. So, Gryffindor?"

Harry looked me in the eye and stated "Gryffindor."

I looked him in the eye in return and replied "Gryffindor," holding my hand out to shake.

He grasped my hand in answer, and said "Gryffindor" again.

Before letting go of his hand, I replied, "But I'll go to your house if I can, no matter which one it is." We were both surprised by a wave of magic passing over us.

I explained, "We just made a magical promise together. It's a good thing here, but be careful with those! It's the weakest kind of magical pact around, but still hurts like hell if you break one!

"Back to sorting. When the Four Founders built the school, they worked together and ensorcelled a pointed and brimmed leather hat with enough sapience and magic to read a person's mind, talk to that person in their mind, and to hear and speak aloud. This was to save them time when they were alive, and to keep their standards up once they were gone. All of us first years will cross a lake by boat and use a different path to the school entrance than the rest of the students that travel by carriages. We will then go up in front of all the rest of the students, sit on a stool, and have the hat placed on our heads. The hat will read our minds, ask us in our minds what _we_ think, then openly and loudly sort us into the house where we will best fit in."

"So, if I insist on Gryffindor, the hat will put me there, no matter what?" Harry asked.

"That could work, although insisting ' _not_ Slytherin' might work out better."

"Did you describe the houses from worst to best for _me,_ or for _you_?" Harry asked.

"For you, actually, and there's your Slytherin side coming out and impressing me! For me, it would have been Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. I don't particularly care for nosy bodies, unless _you_ decide to be nosy with me. While I know how to study, unless I'm _really_ interested in what I'm studying, I consider it a drudge. I once accidentally banished a maths book when I was six because Mum was making me study when I wanted to go for a swim in the pond! My natural talents tend towards battle magic, strategy, and the magical equivalent of military history; so my best fits are Slytherin or Gryffindor. Known enemies are better than _unknown_ enemies, but I would have plenty of _both_ in Slytherin House. Slytherins tend to make 'alliances' far easier and more often than friendships, and I would rather have a friend than an 'ally' watching my back if given a choice, thank you very much!"

Harry sat quietly in thought for a moment. He sighed deeply, as if resolving something, then looked me and extended his now bare feet into view. He quietly said "Ok. Now it's time for your dare…"

…And, saved by the knock at the door. The door opened up, revealing Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom as Harry slid his bare feet under the bench. Both were already in uniform, and Neville appeared to have crossed into and out of tears repeatedly. A quick glance at all three proved out that none of them had ever met. Once again, a good sign. I was still feeling frustrated, and couldn't figure out why.

Hermione decided to start off the show. "Have any of you seen a toad? Neville has lost his. Also, have any of you seen Harry Potter? He was supposed to start Hogwarts this year, but I haven't seen him yet. I know all about him, of course. He's in _Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_. I picked those up along with my course books for background reading when I went to Diagon Alley…"

"Hold up a second, please!" I inserted edgewise. "First, my friend Stubby Boardman and I haven't left the compartment since we left London, and we got here at the last minute! Second, I'll show Neville and you how to find his toad in just a second. You're not the only student of modern history, and Neville Longbottom is almost as recognizable if you actually find the source material. His family was also very closely allied to the Potters, to the point that Harry Potter's parents were godparents to Neville, and his Mum was godmother to Harry. So if you're celebrity hunting, helping his closest political ally without realizing it just because he needs help is not a bad start at all. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way. You are?"

Hermione actually blushed while chewing her bottom lip. She looked precisely as she did in my first lifetime, and had none of the hatred of the second. I had also liked her hair at (almost) twelve even more than when it tamed down. So why was I wanting her to leave? And why did I want Neville to go as well?

She finally held out her hand and said, "Hermione Granger. Pleasure."

I shook her hand, and then I held it out to Neville. "Ron Weasley, my lord-heir. Well met?"

He shook my hand and replied, "Well met, Ron Weasley. We can ditch the formal junk if you want? And I can see Stubby is kinda shy, so we can sort that out later. Friends, Stubby?"

Harry nodded and grinned. Strangely for how he acted with me, he barely blushed, if at all. It was still obvious that they had only just met, though.

I took out my second wand and asked "Neville, what's your toad's name?"

"Trevor."

I cast the point-me spell verbally, and my wand pointed towards the front of the train. I said, "Set your wand on the palm of your hand so it can turn freely, but not fall off when it turns. The incantation, as you heard, is "point me" finished up with whatever you want it to point to. Harder than it looks, but not terribly difficult, especially for something you know of like a pet or a key ring. Try the spell a time or two here. Then, walk towards the front of the train. Cast the spell every few compartments until your wand points to one side or the other. Then, you'll find your toad."

"Neville started to sob again while holding his wand. No time like the present to fix _this_ mess, too! In both timelines, to the degree I knew them, the only problems Neville Longbottom had with magic was that they lacked confidence, and that in turn was caused by being forced to use a wand that hated his guts. So, between having worked at Ollivander's, and knowing that almost _any_ wand would work better for Neville than the one he had, I set to work.

I asked gently, "Is that your father's wand?" He nodded.

I said, "No wonder you're having trouble with it. If you are using a hand-me-down, a boy is more likely to be chosen by his mother's or brother's wand than his father's or sister's. A girl is usually the opposite. I'm using my older brother Charlie's wand, and it chose me when I was nine.

"Your father was also a Field Auror who fell in a violent skirmish in your living room. A wand used by a Field Auror usually won't choose another wizard in those circumstances, particularly with the way that battle was fought."

"Says 'Hand-cast Ronnie,'" he sobbed in reply.

'Hand-Cast?' I thought to myself. Mum must be hiding something from me there. So long as it isn't something really big like 'The Boy Who Lived is a girl with a lesbian girlfriend that wants you dead and is smart enough to get it done,' no worries. I just rolled along with it.

"Touché, Neville. Just the same, please borrow my wand for just a second and give it a wave." He did, and got a faint shower of red and gold sparks. I reclaimed the wand from his loose and astonished grip and said, "Let me try your wand for just a second. I'll give it right back." He handed it to me, and could feel instantly that the wand had been seriously overused, and didn't have too many good spells left, even if it _had_ chosen Neville.

I gave it back to him and said, "I won't even try to cast with it. Your dad burned it _hard_ in his last battle, not that I wouldn't have done the same. If your Mum's wand survived the battle, you need to have your grandmother send it to you. Better yet, she needs to take you to Ollivander's this weekend and get you a new wand that actually _chooses_ you for _sure_. Tell her that I said, and that Harry said that. I'm sure he _will_ say it if it helps; it is the truth after all. And I learned what I know of wand lore from Garrick Ollivander himself while apprenticing in his shop since I was seven.

"I can't let you take my wand with you, but to prove it again, let's try this. Take my wand, and raise the tip above our eye level. Push your magic firmly but gently through the wand, imagining the tip glowing brightly. There is no wand motion, and the incantation is _Lumos._ The wand will glow for a while even if you release it, so you will also need to cancel the spell. You do it just like _Lumos_ but you pull your magic out, imagine the light going out, and the incantation is _Nox_." I handed him my wand, and he cast the spells reasonably well for a first time surprise casting with a wand that only somewhat chose him.

I accepted the wand back from Neville, as Harry thoughtlessly wiped his forehead. Hermione finally saw his scar and actually noticed the colour of his eyes. " _You're_ Harry Potter!" she exclaimed loudly.

I answered, "Well-spotted and congratulations! In spite of truly being the smartest witch of our year, you failed to spot the fact that we _did not want gawkers mobbing us._ Even as distracted as he was, Neville noticed and kept his peace."

"It wasn't right away," Neville muttered.

"You've not met face-to-face until just now, either" I supplied.

The third ring of this unwelcome circus turned up in the form of Draco Malfoy, along with his goons Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. In my second lifetime, I was able to defang that trio somewhat. But without Hermione being a true psycho, I was _not_ going back to Slytherin.

"So, I hear that Harry Potter is on the train!" the ferret-faced jerk sneered as he squeezed past Hermione and into the compartment. Harry was having none of it.

"You're the arsehole from Madam Malkin's! I don't want to hear your blood-purity bullshit, especially not now. _GET. OUT!_ " Harry quickly stood up and kicked Draco squarely in the chest, sending him out of the compartment and sprawling in the passageway on top of Crabbe and Goyle. The unpleasant trio of likely Slytherin Firsties scampered back towards the front of the train in genuine fear.

Harry stated, "Hermione, Neville, it was nice meeting you. But I have a headache right now, and need to lay down. Ron and I also need to change into our uniforms. While we should have plenty of time, I do need to lay down for a while. I'll see you guys at the feast?" Hermione and Neville nodded in reply.

I asked, "Hermione, please try the 'point-me' spell."

She did, and it worked fine for her. They left, and I closed and locked the door. I also put an _Imperturbable Charm_ on the wall facing the corridor and an opacity charm on the windows. While a 'finite' could cancel the charms, it would take Flitwick or Dumbledore to cast it, not a student.

I sat back down, facing Harry again. He placed his still bare feet visibly in the middle of the compartment floor and wiggled his toes at me. I asked, "Why are you barefoot?"

"The dare," he answered.

"But wasn't that only me? And I haven't accepted it yet."

He blushed and murmured, "We both ate the fish" in a disappointed voice.

This was a side of Harry I hadn't seen in three lifetimes. But the disappointment in his voice got to me. Since neither of us was wearing a white t-shirt or black socks, we'd be stripping to our boxers to change anyway. The 'first Harry' and I did at the same time without nearly as much time, or for that matter paying any attention other than to not bump into each other, since we were changing clothes at the very last minute. Since we actually had a lot more time this time around, I decided to go along.

"Is getting starkers together all of the dare?"

"I haven't decided yet."

I toed off my trainers and put my socks in them. "What next?"

"Shirts" he replied as he started taking off his outer shirt. When he removed his t-shirt, I could see that he was blushing down to his chest. After taking off my t-shirt and wand holsters, I noticed that I was, too. I removed my trousers and sat back down in my boxers. I immediately had a "pop-out," and could feel my face burn. He already had his boxers to his feet and was stepping out of them. He was also hard, and bigger than I was. I was at 14 cm long and almost 12 cm around. He was 16 and a half cm long and 13 around (we measured them later on.) We both had a little pre-cum on the ends.

I stood up and carefully removed my boxers, and put my hands above my head. "Like what you see?" I asked.

"I like" he replied, as he mimicked my pose, then spun slowly all the way round and then turned away from me. He bent at the waist and spread his cheeks, showing me his anus. "You?"

"I like too. Turn around and look at me. He did, and I repeated his manoeuvre. He asked, "Can I touch it?"

"Not yet" I said. I turned back to face him and we both sat down facing each other with our legs slightly spread.

Harry asked, "Are you into boys, too?"

I told him "My body is into you, but the rest of me hasn't caught up yet. Are you a time-traveller?" I had to tell him before we did ANYTHING else, especially since although my body surprised me by _wanting_ to do more, I had never done ANYTHING sexual with a guy, and this body was still quite virginal. I had only noticed that I was starting puberty three months ago, and was surprised that I was already able to make even pre-cum.

He looked at me like I had lost my mind, and I could _feel_ that however precocious we were both acting, that he was _only_ eleven, instead of the eleven and fifty-six and twenty-five, or whatever crazy age I was. His face turned to genuine shock, and he asked, "You're not taking the piss, are you?"

"No," I said quietly in return. "My spirit is in the eleventh year of a third lifetime. In my first lifetime, we were best friends from meeting on the train. Neither of us ever tried anything with guys. While I wasn't the most reliable friend, and occasionally hurt you badly, you always forgave me and I always came through when you really needed me to. We dropped out of Hogwarts between our sixth and seventh years to fight Voldemort, and defeated him for good towards the end of seventh year. We both became Aurors. You married Ginny and had three kids, I married Hermione Granger of all people and we had two kids. We never did anything more than kiss anyone other than our own wives. I transferred from the Aurors to the Department of Mysteries as a Battle Mage and battle magic researcher after our kids were out of school. I got caught in an unstable time vortex that suddenly showed up in the Department and 'died' at the age of fifty-six.

"The next thing I knew, I was coming out of Mum again into my second lifetime and second dimension. Yes, I remember the birth canal, breast-feeding, everything. In that dimension, you were a girl, and Hermione was a psycho who was so dangerous that I was deliberately mis-sorted into Slytherin for my own safety.

"The Fake Lord was defeated again with greater difficulty since Hermione was _your_ lover and trying to kill me, and since the female you had the hots for me despite not being willing to leave Hermione, and Hermione wanting me dead more than life itself. Hermione was locked up in Azkaban for a while. The female you worked as an Auror, and I went straight to the Department of Mysteries to avoid any trouble. I married Daphne Greengrass, a non-Death Eater Slytherin from a non-Death Eater family. She and I had one daughter. When I was twenty-five, they released Hermione from Azkaban. She ambushed me at work and threw me into another time vortex, and I landed in this lifetime, birth and all.

"But even if this was my original dimension, I have already changed things. In my first lifetime, I was only normal in my magical strength. None of my family realized that the Evil Rat Man wasn't just a rat. So, your godfather was unjustly imprisoned without trial until you were thirteen. You never lived with him in that timeline, though you both loved each other dearly. Sirius Black did not get released, he escaped from Azkaban. So he had to live in hiding and the two of you didn't see each other that often. He was killed in a battle against Death Eaters in the Ministry building when you were fifteen. I also had no idea that Pandora Lovegood was doing dangerous experimental spell crafting at home. She died when I was almost ten, and Luna was never the same.

"I'm not sure I can be your lover as well as your friend. But I will try. I promise that no matter what, I will always be your friend. I beg you to do the same for me.

"Or, if you decide right now that you can't have sex with 'old man junk,' we can get dressed and call it a bad job. I _am_ five months or so older than you even in body. In any case, I will always be your friend and beg you to always be mine. _I love you, Harry James Potter, and nothing will ever change that._ We just need to decide whether it's as a brother, or a lover.

"You also need to think of two other things. First, there is no such thing as a bloke getting pregnant. You will be required to produce an heir for the Potter line, and probably for the Black line as well, since you inherited the Lordship of the House of Black as well as the House of Potter the first time around, and since your godfather has likely named you as his heir this time, too.. You will need to find someone to have children for you. If you marry them, they will have to know _and accept_ that you are seeing me, or whomever you end up with if it's not me. Otherwise, you will have to be faithful to your wife alone. The circles you will travel in will be unbearable if you allow yourself to be caught up in public scandal.

"Second, we will both need to be discrete with each other. While being gay isn't treated as harshly in the wizarding world as it is with the Muggles, it isn't treated nicely either; especially by boarding school students. Like it or not, you are a 'celebrity,' and people's opinions can flip on a Knut.

"I will do _anything_ that is in my power for you, even this. Whenever _anyone_ tells you they will do _anything,_ they are not being completely honest. Everyone has a 'but' list. When they say 'anything,' they _always_ mean 'anything, _but.'_

"I admit that I have a 'but list,' and I know that you have one too. But, my 'but list' is so small that you will never approach it, and I'm sure that you won't approach mine either.

"I am here for you, however you will have me. So, what do you want to do?"

He looked me in the eye and told me "You. I want to be your lover as well as your friend. I haven't done anything with a guy yet either, but something tells me my luck is about to change.

"I haven't even wanked yet, and I've only seen wanking once. I'm not sure I want to try buggering right here and now, but how about sucking?"

"Sucking is good. There is a charm to lube you up for anal sex, but I never used it enough to get any good. Muggle lube from the chemist's works best for that…"

He grabbed the stuff from under the serviette. It was an unopened tube of lube. "You mean this?" he asked, "Seeing it in the basket is what gave me the confidence to dare you, since I thought you'd like it…"

I finally figured out what was happening. Harry and I had already started forming a "soul-bond." I'll explain it to you as I did to him.

"Harry, we're in the middle of forming a soul bond, and I didn't realize it until just now. It never happened before, and I don't know much about them. But, they are difficult to break once started, drive the two bonded to have sex with each other as soon as they can do so, and _cannot_ be broken once the two bonded have had sex for the first time, and probably not before.

"We are actually both a bit on the early end of the 'typical' age for such a bond forming. Since a soul bond has a sexual component to it, it requires both of the bonded to have started puberty enough to have sex and climax from it. They usually form once a generation or so, but most people tend to hide them for privacy's sake. They also usually form, if you can say 'usually' for something so rare, between a guy and a girl, though guy-guy and girl-girl bonds aren't completely unheard of. With a soul bond, you basically share _everything_ that can be shared with two people, including emotions and physical sensation. You also share magical power, and since Voldemort _will_ come back as soon as he can, and is trying even _now,_ you will need this in order to be sure of winning.

"Soul bonds also only ever happen between people who are truly compatible with each other, beyond even the normal compatibility of a regular magical marriage. If they change anything at all about the people bonded, it is only the least important things; things the bonded would change themselves anyway if given the chance. So, it isn't losing the right to decide your own fate, it is actually fate being defeated by your ultimate first choice.

I never thought about doing 'that' with another bloke before now. But now I can only think of you! If we had gotten this far _without_ the bond, I'd have still done it for you; only this way, I'll enjoy it at least as much as you will. And, however much you thought about sex, you're _eleven,_ and probably didn't think of it that much anyway. You might have, and probably _did_ think of girls, but you won't remember right now if you ever did. I was married happily _twice_ but I can only see _you,_ just as you only see me.

"The lube is certainly Pandora Lovegood's idea. I didn't buy it, and Mum _certainly_ wouldn't have. Pandora is also a type of magical seer. While she doesn't give prophecies that I know of, she can sometimes _see_ the possible futures of others she encounters provided those futures don't directly and immediately touch her own. She must have _seen_ this, and decided that the best thing to do was to seal the bond with sex on the train.

"But she isn't in this bond. _We_ will be. Through three lifetimes, I've seen three different 'Harry Potters' forced to do things by ungrateful people against their will; without being asked. Well, for _me,_ it stops here and now. If you don't want this bond, we'll get dressed and figure out some way to stop it _together._ If there is any pain, I'll draw it into my own body if possible. Today, Harry Potter actually gets to decide something about his own life! What do we do, Harry?"

"How much of that was this 'soul bond' thing talking, and how much was actually _you_?"

"The only thing the bond is changing in me is the idea of wanting sex with a guy in general. _Everything_ else is 'pure me.' While I didn't admit to some of the stuff I know actually being learned in and remembered from my other lifetimes, I haven't lied to you even _once_ today."

"I've decided" he said. My heart was in my mouth for fear of rejection, and little if any of that was from the bond.

"I _want_ this bond, and I _need it too._ Not for the future war, but just because I _do. I love you too, Ronald Bilius Weasley. I want you for a lover as well as a friend. I give you my body and accept yours in return._ Did I get the name right?" he asked in a sudden bout of nerves just as mine calmed.

"Perfectly. You can already read a few of my memories. Don't worry about privacy with each other just yet, we'll figure that out as we go along."

"Do we have time to do everything?" he asked.

I looked at my watch, which was the only thing I had on. "It's a quarter past two. We should have time to do stuff and get cleaned up and dressed. The Express normally gets to Hogsmeade, which is the magical village just outside of Hogwarts, at half past six or so."

Harry said, "Stand up, and we'll hug and kiss for a moment or two. You can play with my bum if you want while we do it. Should I remove my glasses before we kiss?" I shook my head 'no' in reply.

We stood up, and hugged each other tightly. We closed our eyes and started kissing, me playing with his bum the same way he was playing with mine. We weren't that great at first, but we improved quickly. After about a minute, I told him "Ok. I'll be the receptive one, or the one that takes the penis inside their body, first for both oral and anal. I'm at least five months older than you, and I don't want to be accused of molesting some _little brat_ when _I'm_ the one who was seduced."

By now, we were both instinctively talking just above a whisper. Though I knew my charms would hold up, and no one outside of our compartment would hear or see anything from us (we learned later that at least Hermione _had_ tried and _failed_ to listen in,) we weren't taking any chances.

Harry answered in my ear "So _that's_ how you want it, you _dirty old man_?"

I replied, "I washed this morning, so I'm just as clean is you. And we _both_ know you're bigger than me! It's gonna hurt a lot when you pop my arse. Please don't _kill_ me…"

Harry answered, "Don't worry, _Old Man._ Your _Brat_ is a gentle lover, I hope…"

xxxxx

I said, "We'll both be as gentle as we can, since we're both virgins. Sit on the edge of the bench with your legs spread wide so I can suck you. Do you want to come in my mouth, or face and neck or chest?"

"Your mouth, and you can do the same for me."

"Ok. I'll swallow most of it, but leave some in my mouth and French kiss you, so we taste ourselves as well as each other."

"Ok. Go for it Old Man!" he said as I sat down cross-legged between his legs.

I looked up at him and said, "In order to get as much of you in my mouth as I can, I'm going to relax my throat muscles. I'll go as quick or slow as I need to, to keep from choking. Also, a bloke's nuts draw up tight right before they come, so I'll be caressing them part of the time to try to tell. But tell me when you feel it, anyway. I don't want us coming in each other's windpipes! Finally, it will feel great when you come, but don't shout." He nodded, and I went down on him.

He might have lasted two minutes before his nuts drew up and he tapped the top of my head. I barely had time to get the head of it out of my throat and into my mouth before he came, and came, and came some more. The look on his face was pre ecstasy. There was a lot more than I expected, but I managed to swallow as much as I promised. And while I didn't come myself, I felt an echo of his orgasm in my own body. We stood, and kissed deeply, me pushing and him sucking what was left of his semen into his mouth.

We finished switching places, with me on the bench and him on the floor. He was awkward at first, but quickly got the hang of it. Which was all right to be getting on with, since I didn't last any longer than he did. We stood and kissed as we did before.

He asked, "Did you feel me come, too, Old Man?"

"Yes Brat, I did," I answered. "Do you want us to sit on each other, or how do you want us to do it?"

Harry answered, "I guess we'll have to stick it in each other. I don't see any place to lay down, and I don't want to try us sitting on the bench for our first time."

"Ok, Brat. Put your clothes next to my wands. Put your wand there too so we don't accidentally break it. I'll kneel on the bench where we were sitting. After you finish me, we'll change places. Get our t-shirts handy so we can use them to clean ourselves up as we need to."

We quickly moved around as needed. Harry opened the box and took the tube of lube out. "What exactly do I do with this?" he asked.

"Smear some all around on one of your fingers and finger it into my anus. After a minute or so, put some more on that finger and the one next to it and finger me some more. After that, rub some on your penis so it is all nice and slick. Then, put it into me _slowly._ You'll _know_ if you go too fast.

He quietly put some on his right index finger and started slowly and gently fingering me. As he did, he lightly caressed my left foot and calf as much as he could reach.

"You too?" I asked.

"And you?" he asked in reply.

"Yeah" I answered him. "I don't want them stuck in my face or anything, especially if they smell, but yeah. I also like to caress my lover's legs and such with them, and have them do it in return. Before, I never even wanked unless I was barefooted."

"Never wanked, but me too, Old Man," he said as he switched to two fingers.

We did that for maybe two minutes before he removed his fingers and gently pushed himself all the way in…AND PAIN! I gasped in almost agony, and he started to pull out.

"DON'T MOVE!" I gasped. "When I nod, push it SLOWLY all the way back in, then give me a minute to get used to it. When I nod again, start doing me, but _slowly_ and _gently._ "

He said, "Nod when you're ready, Old Man. And you can hurt me too, when it's my turn…"

"I won't hurt you on _purpose!_ " I replied, the last word being a gasp as I had nodded and he pushed himself back in quicker than I was ready for.

I figured out that part of the pain was from me holding my breath. I nodded, and forced myself to breathe.

He started in on me, slowly at first. He carefully sped up at my urging. By three minutes, he was going full speed and the sound of our bodies slapping together was louder than we had spoken since we were still wearing our trousers. The pain was still there, but it was fading, and the _pleasure_ of what I was receiving was kicking in _big time._ I could feel the tension building in _both_ of us and gasped, "Do me as hard and fast as you can! We're _coming!_ "

He did, and we both came together less than half a minute later, feeling both our own climaxes and each other's! Words really _can't_ describe how we felt as Harry shot in me again and again and _again._ I caught at least one squirt of my own semen on the bottom of my chin, as well as shooting all over the back of the bench. Whatever charm the people or house elves that clean the train carriages put on the seats held; instead of soaking in, the semen just stayed there at first, then slowly started running down.

"That was _brilliant, Old Man!_ " Harry gasped in pleasure as he pulled out of me, and wiped himself off on the soles of my feet. "I could kinda feel your pain in my arse too, that's why I started to pull out so quick."

I answered, "Yeah, _brilliant beyond brilliant._ I felt both of or orgasms, too! Now, be a good Brat and wipe the soles of my feet off with _your_ t-shirt so I don't track _that_ all over the floor."

Instead of using his t-shirt, he used his _tongue_ Neither one of 'expected' that, and had you told me I'd go along with that even with _Hermione_ or _Daphne,_ I'd have laughed in your face at best _._ But, 'it felt right at the time…'

It's a little-known fact unless you have "given" your partner Anal Sex, or they you, that the first couple of times you receive it, you can't close up "down there" right away, especially if the "insertive" partner has any size to them. Even at eleven, Harry and I were _already_ of respectable size even for full adults, and puberty would give us both more of that "gift" before it finished with us. I felt "Harry" start to run out of me shortly after he pulled out, so I closed my knees together so I wouldn't drip straight to the floor. It took me as long to "close up" as it did for the act itself. Harry had not only licked my feet clean, he also got some of what he left inside me that was dripping out, along with my still-recovering anus. Like I said, 'it felt right at the time…"

As I stood off the bench, I said, "Brat, stand where I was kneeling. I can't squat to get you in my mouth otherwise, and we'll both return each other's 'favours.' After I 'clean' you like you 'cleaned' me, get down and we'll French kiss. Then, kneel like I did on the bench, 'cause it's the Old Man's turn." He did, we did, and then he kneeled on the bench like I had.

I started off by using my tongue on his still-virginal anus for a minute or two, drooling enough saliva so I was able to push my tongue into him a few times after about two minutes. He gasped in pleasure, then he whispered "Ewe! That felt _awesome,_ Old Man! But you came all over the seatback, and I almost put my head and hair in it!"

"My first squirt caught the bottom of my chin!" I whispered back.

"Lean forward so I can reach it with my tongue."

I did, and he licked the bottom of my chin three times. He whispered, "That should do it. Now finger me and do me!"

I started with one finger as he taunted me in a whisper that was getting sexier by the second. "Just like an old man, Old Man! All taAAALlk and no action." I guess that I'm not the only one who talks funny when his lover changes gears.

But he amazingly kept it up. "Yeah, you're _good_ with the fingers, Old Man! But is that all you've got? I bet that that's all you've got the energy to give meEEEEOHGODOHGODBOTTOMANDFREEZEPLEASEPLEAHEAHEASE!"

I didn't put it in any harder or faster than he did me. I _couldn't,_ really, since I felt it in _my arse too_ as I put it into him. I was half-doubled over him even as I kept bottomed-out inside him. We were both gasping, and my tears dripped from my face onto his back.

He gasped, "My arse burned and hurt like mad when I pushed into you. That's why I bottomed out so fast and tried to pull out, too. How are you?"

"The same as you, I guess." I bent down and kissed his spine level with the bottom of his shoulder blades. I continued, "If you breathe normally instead of hitching and holding your breath, the pain goes away pretty quickly. You'll still be sore, but it won't _hurt,_ and you will feel the good feelings when we get going."

It took us another minute or two to catch our breaths, and then I started, slow at first. I gradually sped up, using the bond to "feel" how fast I could go without hurting Harry, and myself as well. I was going full-speed about as quickly as Harry had sped up when he was doing me, and we were both whisper-shouting in pure ecstasy.

We started to climax three times, and Harry blocked it each time telling me to keep going. After about fifteen minutes, he finally allowed us to come. It was beyond mind-blowing as each wave of pleasure tore through our bodies, echoed into each other's bodies, and passed back through our own again! "WOW, just _WOW._ " Harry panted as I pulled out and he closed his knees together. He said, "Before you 'wipe off, lean over and lick the bottom of my chin, along with what I don't lick off of around my mouth, and my nose. I got me better than you got you, and I wasn't even trying!"

I did as he asked, and I noticed that his glasses were starting to come apart. I said, "Harry, your glasses…"

He answered, "The cello tape is coming loose. Cheap-ass Aunt and Uncle would _never_ buy me a new, or even a _decent_ pair. This pair got snapped again during the last round of 'Harry-Hunting' Dudders got up to two weeks before my Hogwarts letters started coming. Fat bastard got what was coming to him, though!" I was licking as he was ranting. As I turned to give his feet 'attention,' he continued.

"When Hagrid finally gave me my Hogwarts Letter, Dudders and Uncle Vernon pissed him off, and Hagrid gave the little whale a pig's tail! Curly, hairy, and everything! It never occurred to either of them, or to Aunt Petunia to have it magic'ed away. When they dropped me off at King's Cross, they were on their way to a private plastic surgeon to have it _cut_ off! Their "Ickle Diddums" will miss his first week of school, and maybe his _second!_ "

Having finished up with the 'wiping and cleaning,' I said, "Brat, I'm going to wipe my hands off and remove your glasses while your feet dry. I'll spell your glasses to like-new and put them back on your face. You can 'clean' me then, ok?"

He nodded, slightly in shock. I told him "We're lovers, Brat! I know you'd do it for me if it was the other way around. It makes me feel just as special to do things for you as it does for you to do things for me, and not just when we're having cherry-sex."

"Yeah, thanks Old Man! What is 'cherry sex,' and why is losing your virginity 'getting your cherry popped?'"

As I removed his glasses, I answered, "When a girl has sex for the first time, her hymen or 'maidenhead' is torn or 'broken.' This causes her to bleed some, enough that if she's on her back in a bed she'll get bloodstains on the sheet beneath her. When you squeeze or 'pop' an actual ripe cherry, it releases red juice.

"Cherries are sweet, and most guys think it's 'sweet' to be the first lover their partner has experienced, so it 'fits.' Girls pay more attention to if they can keep their partners faithful to them alone. Since a guy doesn't have anything like what a girl has, she has to take his word for if he had been with someone else before her.

While witches are mostly equal to wizards, unlike the Muggle world, there are still double standards that are the same in both worlds. Some guys brag about how many partners they've had, and how many of _those_ had been virgins, but witches who have many different sexual partners are thought of poorly just like Muggle girls and women."

A quick _"Oculus Reparo"_ saw Harry's glasses like new, and me placing them on his face. As he stood up on the bench for me to finish 'cleaning' him, he asked, "How was _my_ 'Cherry,' Old Man?"

Before I took him in my mouth, I replied "Sweet! And mine?"

While I had him in my mouth sucking him clean, he said "But I thought you had had sex before with your wives in your other lifetimes?"

Having finished 'cleaning' him, I answered, "That doesn't count, though. They were both _girls,_ and it was only _one girl per lifetime._ I hadn't even _wanked_ in this lifetime yet, and you're my first guy _ever._ I hadn't even watched or caught anyone wanking _ever._ So yeah, I had a 'Cherry' for that, and you popped it dry! How was it?"

"Beyond awesome, Old Man! Can you let me do you again? Or can you do me?"

"I want to try something a little bit tamer, but just about as good. Let's 'grind one out' on each other."

"You mean you just want to wank after what we just did?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Not quite, Brat" I replied with a whispered chuckle (we still hadn't come close to normal speaking volume even when gasping in agony as we split each other's bums open.) "I'll put a little lube on our penises and bellies, to make sure things are still slick. Our anuses should still be slick enough, but we'll each lube our right middle fingers just to make sure. Then we'll stand, hug, French kiss, and finger each other's anuses, while grinding our penises together and between each other's bellies. That way, we'll come together for the first time while kissing, too. We can also see if we can come above our nipples while grinding together. How does that sound?"

"Where's the lube, Old Man? Let's _grind._ "

Not quite seven minutes later, we discovered that at least _one_ of us, and probably both made it to the base of our collarbones. We were too busy climaxing to pay attention to that particular detail. I licked him clean, and he returned the favour. Now, it was getting late, and we had to clean ourselves up for real, get into our Hogwarts uniforms, and clean the compartment up as well.

zzzzz

We also needed to mollify our two _not pleased with the show_ familiars. Pandora had thought of that, as well. There were several pieces of crisp streaky bacon in the picnic hamper that we had previously missed, along with a can of kippers in a Muggle resealable bag, so that what Lucky Boy didn't eat could be given to him later without messing up the hamper. After bribing our familiars, it was time to get to work.

"Harry? It's almost five in the afternoon now, and we need to get cleaned up and dressed. We'll use my t-shirt and our outer shirts along with magic to get everything cleaned and dried off. Then, after we get dressed, we'll freshen the air in the compartment. We _don't_ want to smell like sex, or have the compartment smell that way, just in case someone gets nosy. Also, our 'sex names' are for _only_ when we are sure _beyond all doubt_ that _no one but us will ever hear._ If it's just us with _no doubt,_ 'Old Man' and 'Brat' are cool, even if we're only hanging out and not doing anything. But otherwise, it _has_ to be 'Harry' and 'Ron.' There's a reporter witch for the Daily Prophet named Rita Skeeter. She writes about _anything_ but specializes in half-truths, lies, gossip and slander; the truth and law be damned. She's also an illegal beetle Animagus, and if she's chasing you, you won't know it until you show in the next day's front-page headline."

"Being a beetle Animagus is illegal?" Harry asked.

I answered, "Being _any_ Animagus without registering with the Ministry within fifteen days of your first successful Animagus transformation is illegal. The fine is steep, but almost no one actually registers.

"Professor McGonagall is registered, but she is a Transfiguration Mistress, and about as strict and straight-laced as they come. Professor Dumbledore, who is also a Transfiguration Master, is a registered fire-phoenix Animagus.

"However, it takes so much more power to transform to the form of a magical animal when compared to a Muggle one, that it's taught that turning into a magical animal is impossible. Dumbledore has transformed into his Animagus form no more than five times in his entire life, including his first successful transformation, and the one he had to do at the Ministry to register. He hasn't transformed in so long that almost everyone who reads the Animagus registry thinks that he put the entry in himself as a _joke._ They don't pay attention to the fact that he registered in 1907, when he most assuredly was _not_ Chief Warlock and could _not_ get away with sneaking in a fraudulent entry.

"Your Dad, godfather, and the Evil Rat Man became Animagii while they were fourth years at Hogwarts, to keep their mutual friend Remus Lupin company during 'that time of the month.' Remus Lupin is a 'good' werewolf, but not the one I mowed for. Seeing that Dumbledore had a restraining order placed on Sirius Black, I can _guarantee_ that he didn't key Remus into the wards.

"Werewolves only attack _humans,_ so Animagii in their animal form are safe. It came out at Pettigrew's trial. Your Dad was dead. They had already done too much illegal shite to your Godfather. Pettigrew already had fifteen life sentences in Azkaban; between the Muggles, your parents, and being a Death Eater; with no money to pay up even if they fined him.

"Back to us, though. No hints about the 'us' in us beyond being best friends where anyone can see or hear it.

"Let's get cleaned up and dressed. If we have time, I'll tell you more."

We kissed, and then I started to clean in earnest, telling and teaching Harry what I did as I went. It took a lot of quick and careful charms, and the occasional transfiguration, but I knew what I was doing, Harry was a very quick learner one on one where he practiced as he learned, and we could both work quickly together when the chips were down, just like "first Harry" and me. By five to six we were showered, dried, dressed in our Hogwarts Uniforms, and in a clean dry compartment with the windows open to expel the last of the "fragrances."

"We're still a half-hour or so from Hogsmeade, and won't actually start classes until tomorrow. But being a hard-working chap, you're already learning magic. Let's have a quiz! I'll ask, and you answer."

"Ok, Ron."

"Lumos"

"The Wand-Lighting Charm. As you teach it, no wand movement is required, and the incantation is "Lumos." You need to cancel it to avoid stressing your wand needlessly and wasting magic rather than letting go of the wand. The counter-charm to cancel the light spell is 'Nox' or the Wand-Extinguishing Charm. Nox is cast just like Lumos. There _are_ wand movements for both Lumos and Nox, but you don't teach them since you can easily cast both spells without them. Some, but not all ensorcelled lights use the same commands to light and extinguish."

"The most important part of casting a magic spell, other than having the magic to cast it with?"

"Intent. While wand movements, incantations, and even the wand itself are important, they do no more and no less than focus our own magic and intent."

"Aguamenti?"

"The Water Making Spell. It's a charm that draws the water from the surrounding air and shoots it from the end of the caster's wand like a hose. No wand movement, point the wand tip at the surface you want to get wet, incantation is 'Aguamenti.' Spell by default produces water at roughly sixteen degrees Celsius. You can modify it to change the temperature to a range of between 2 and 97 degrees Celsius by specifying the temperature after the basic incantation. Can also be modified to produce soap by drawing alkali and lipids from the surrounding air and the caster's body, though using actual soap like we did is far easier and preferable to avoid skin irritation from the loss of lipids and pH imbalance the spell causes if taking the source from the caster. An experienced caster of Aguamenti can truly conjure the soap, if they seriously overload the spell without allowing the extra energy to affect the velocity or quantity of water produced, where the excess power goes to by default."

"Cologne?"

Harry winced, and answered "Not for use on private parts. Aguamenti works if this is forgotten."

"Purgato sursum?"

"Basic cleaning charm for almost any solid surface. No wand motion to start, point tip of wand at the area or item to be cleaned, incantation is 'Purgato sursum.' If cleaning an area, start at an outside edge of the area and work your way in, preferably in a clockwise direction. Anti-clockwise works, but not quite as well. Works on fabric, all floor coverings, and even human skin. Must be used carefully and not be overpowered, especially on human skin.. Overpowering can damage the item or surface being cleaned."

"Drying Charm?"

"Just what it says on the tin. No wand motion, point the wand at the area to be dried, and give the incantation 'Aercalidus.' Produces a gentle breeze of warm, very dry air to quickly dry surfaces, fabrics, or human skin."

"Potter Family unique magical trait?"

"Remote casting. If I have already been chosen by a wand, or 'force' a wand to choose me, I can then cast spells with it, even if it is in the hand of another wizard. The focus and power required are greater than if I'm actually holding the wand, and can be overpowered if the remote wand is actually in the hand of another wizard or witch. With enough power, I can use this ability with any spell I know, provided that the spell either does not require wand movement, or I can cast the spell without having to use the correct wand movement. Common use would be for a 'Lumos' if I drop my wand somewhere at night; though not dropping my wand in the first place is preferred."

"Wand holster?"

"Best place for a wand if you aren't using it. Thanks again, by the way."

"You're welcome. What do you owe me?"

"Game of Strip Poker in the Room of Requirement. The loser gets done hard for at least half an hour shouting as loud as they want. After we finish, the loser can't dress until we leave the room. If I lose, I have to go without underwear and socks for the rest of the weekend, and go completely barefoot wherever we can do it without getting caught. If you lose, we both do."

"I thought it was loser only?"

"Going barefoot and commando makes me feel like I'm getting naked for you, or that you are getting naked for me. I _like_ getting naked with and for you."

I shrug and ask "Pinning?"

"Hurts like all hell. But it means that my holster and wand won't go on walkabout unless you or I remove it."

"Close, but not quite. Others _can_ remove your holster, but it will take them a lot of time. But reasonable enough for classmates, I hope. Owl treats"

"Food for post-owls and owl familiars in the bonding process. They can also work as a bribe, but not nearly as well as crisp streaky bacon. They will NOT work on Kneazle familiars. They only take kippers; especially if he already ate whatever tuna sashimi we hadn't eaten ourselves. By the way, even with your three lifetimes, it still kinda freaks me out that you know my familiar better than I do."

"It only seems like I do. You really _do_ know her better than me, even now. Old Man?"

"My pet, bedroom, or sex name for you. Yours for me is 'Brat.' They come from you being at least a few months older than me no matter how you figure it, and the both of us flipping the bird to our age differences. We are actually equal in most ways, and in any way we're _not_ equal, you insist that _I_ am the one in charge. We can only use those names when we are _truly_ alone together. Our business stays our business, so the 'sheeple' don't give us _the business._ "

"You _are_ in charge, Brat. No one pushes you around any more, not even me unless I'm saving your life, or if I'm teaching you something. Even then, you are your own person. You've given me too much already for me to take away your free agency like everyone else seems to…"

"-KNOCK KNOCK!-"

"Start of a corny joke. It's also a not-so-subtle hint that perhaps Professor Weasley had better take down our privacy charms and unlock the door? No chance in hell _I_ could drop them…"

I did just that and opened the door to reveal Hermione Granger.

"You two need to get changed… You're already changed into your uniforms?"

Harry answered her "Yes." As he motioned her in, he continued, "If you remember, I said that Ron and I needed to change into our uniforms when he and I had Neville and you leave a few hours ago. By the way, did he and you find Trevor?"

She said, "Yes, we did. Ron's brother Percy conjured a small cardboard box with holes in the lid so Trevor wouldn't get away again. Why were you barefoot when we came in earlier?"

"I told you that I had a headache and was going to lay down, right? I was already in the process of stripping to my boxers to do just that when you two showed up, since I don't like sleeping in street or play clothes, and I didn't feel like digging out my pyjamas. Had the two of you shown up a minute later, you would have seen much more of 'The Boy Who Lived' than you ever did in _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_ or any of the other books you listed off.

"While Ron is a bigger fan-boy of Dark Wizard Defeaters than you could ever dream of being, he at least had the common decency of not fan-boying on me until _after_ I gave him my name. And _that_ was after he got me on the train, which I _never_ would have done otherwise, and loaned me the genuine affection of his Mum and younger sister, along with giving his own.

"He also freely admitted that he knew _nothing_ about _me_ other than what I managed to share during twenty minutes of train catching, and proceeded to tell me more about my history and place in magical society than _everyone else on the face of the earth combined, including you._ He also told me about him, and listened while I told him about _me,_ not the scar or the fame.

"He also fed me one of the better meals I've had in weeks if not months, which he made _himself,_ and let me break down and cry in his shoulder like a three year old at one point without embarrassing me or making me _feel_ like a three year old. After you guys left, he also gave me a couple of paracetamol for my headache and let me use his cloak as a blanket since mine was buried in the bottom of my trunk."

Harry and I actually _did_ take a couple of paracetamol each, but that wasn't the end that was hurting us. The potions I have stocked are for far bigger things than a simple "ache," whichever end you're talking about, and paracetamol works just as good for a magical as it does for a Muggle. While we _did_ keep each other warm, our cloaks were at that time still buried in our trunks, and were the furthest thing from our minds.

Harry continued. "While you were rude first, I was rude back. How about us apologizing to each other and starting over? I _am_ sorry I was rude to you. But I only learned about all this garbage a month ago, and being praised like a movie star for being orphaned at the age of fifteen months is frankly creepy and sick. But I had no excuse to unload on you, though. Friends?"

She clasped and shook his hand, answering "Friends, _Stubby._ I'm Hermione Granger. I'm almost twelve, and I'm very smart. However, I haven't figured out yet how to not ' _act'_ very smart. I was bullied a lot in primary for being 'too' smart, but the teachers never advanced me, even though that might have actually helped me. I always try my best at academics, and try even harder when I'm nervous or frightened.

"My best if not only friends in primary were my parents and my books. My accidental magic consisted of summoning things I wanted, which were usually books.

"I also don't care for the colour pink. Anything pink forced on me would either change to a pale blue or shrink so small that it wouldn't even fit on my dolls.

"I'm insecure about my appearance, especially my hair and front teeth. My parents are both dentists and dental surgeons. They want to fix my teeth the 'Muggle' way, but they also say that I'm not quite old enough to do that yet, especially since I'm attending a boarding school.

"However, even though I'm insecure about my appearance and want guys to look at me, I don't wear makeup or bother with appearance beyond dressing neatly in clean clothing and keeping myself clean and free of blemishes. It just takes too much time to do every day, and I honestly don't know how to use the junk.

"After Hogwarts, I'm not sure what I want to do, but I think I might want to work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as a barrister, if they have those.

"I don't know what house I'll be sorted into, but I'm hoping for Gryffindor, since both Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were Gryffindors"

Harry smiled at her and said, "That's a start. Try to 'relax;' not in your effort as much as showing your effort and telling others what to do. You were originally going to remind us to change into uniform if we haven't already. We _might_ have needed the reminder, but if you aren't careful with how you say what you say, you come across like you think that you're an adult and we are only seven, instead of all of us being more or less the same age. The other girls will ignore, or perhaps even snub you, and the guys will get rude if not nasty.

"As for me, I'm Harry Potter. I am famous for having survived a criminal attack that killed my parents when I was fifteen months old, and the perpetrator supposedly being killed in the bargain. After that, I was raised by my Muggle Aunt and Uncle, who didn't like magic or me _at all._ I didn't learn about the magical world, or my place in it, until a month ago. I made my first friend, at least in my living memory, at 10:45 this morning when I arrived to board a train I otherwise would never have found. I hope to get into Gryffindor, since both of my parents and all of my friend's siblings are there. I don't know what I want to do after school, partly because I have no idea what I'll be good at. But, I _will_ find something. I don't need to worry about money because I have so much that I couldn't spend it all in _three_ lifetimes. But I'd give it all away for just one hour…"

And, Hermione hugged him before he got himself worked up any further. It took him a couple of seconds, but he finally allowed himself to relax in her arms. He said, "Thanks, Hermione. I've been tending to get worked up easily today. It must be the train ride."

She answered, "There is that. Harry, it's taken you eleven years to live your life. You don't have to force yourself to sprint through reliving it. I'm your friend today, and I'll be your friend tomorrow. I'd better catch back up with Neville. He and I will need to help each other with our trunks, and keep Trevor from going on walkabout again."

The Guard announced over the PA system: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken up to the school separately."

I said, "Even without bothering with the luggage, you might want to go back to Neville, especially if you had him expecting you back."

"Ok. I'll see you guys in a little bit." Hermione left us to catch back up with Neville.

Harry asked, "How do I look?"

I looked and replied, "Not red-eyed, just a bit damp." I hit him with a wandless drying charm and asked, "how are you?"

He shrugged and answered, "Like the world has lost its mind. Can you hold my hand?"

I took his right hand in my left, answering, "I'll hold it as much as I can. I'll only let go when we can't hide it, and even then only to not embarrass _you._ " I whisper so only he can hear me " _I love you, Harry James Potter."_

He whispered back _"And I love you, Ronald Bilius Weasley."_

The train brakes came on, and in no time we had stopped at the high platform at Hogsmeade Station. Along with everyone else on the train, we opened the outside compartment door and stepped out onto the platform, wearing our cloaks instead of freezing in the early Scottish Highland evening. Everyone else was walking towards the front of the train, so we followed along, subtly holding hands in the last of the twilight and being the last ones in the group.

The group split in two after passing the locomotive. The larger group, consisting of the second through seventh years, walked towards the carriages. I asked, "Harry? Can you see anything pulling the carriages?"

He answered, "Yes, but they are out of focus. They vaguely look like horses. What are they?"

I answered, "I'm letting go of your hand. We're getting close to the teachers and students anyway." After letting go, I asked, "Do you still see them?" I see him shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

I tell him "Those are Thestrals. They resemble horses, but are practically bald, and have large leathery wings. They are gentle creatures, but eat meat and blood rather than grain or fodder. Normally one can only see them if they have seen and comprehended death. They are sadly misunderstood creatures. They are easy to ride if you are able to abide magical flight. They are also nearly as good at navigating as post owls.

"You saw them blurred when we held hands because you were naturally drawing on my magic as well as your own. They are still there, even if you can't see them. Sadly, you will see them in your own right in the next few years. Don't be surprised when you see them, but don't be in any hurry, either."

Our smaller group of first years split off towards a bobbing lantern. As we got close, we could see that Hagrid was carrying it. The Keeper of the Keys was repeatedly calling out "Firs' years, Firs' years over here!" Seeing Harry and me approach, he called out "All right there, Harry?" Hagrid beamed at Harry over the see of heads of our fellow first-year students.

He called out, "Any more Firs' years? Alright, mind yer step, now! C'mon, follow me!"

Hagrid led us down the slightly treacherous and narrow path to the shore of the Black Lake, where all the boats were lined up ready for us students to board them.

He announced that we would get our first glimpse of Hogwarts just after rounding the next bend in the path.

There was a loud and rolling "oooh!" as our group of just over forty eleven-year-olds stepped out onto the shore of the Black Lake, where Hogwarts shone in all her glory on the far side.

Hagrid shouted "No more'n four to a boat!" while pointing the line of boats to those o us who hadn't noticed them. Harry and I came up behind Neville and Hermione, and we boarded the same boat they did.

With all forty-plus students safely embarked, Hagrid said, "Everyone in? Right then – FORWARD!"

With that verbal command, eleven boats with students and one boat with Groundskeeper moved out smartly as one to take us on to our futures.

The lake was smooth as glass. The giant squid was nowhere to be seen. All of us were utterly silent in awe of the view. As the first boats approached the cliff, under which the boats were ensorcelled to sail, Hagrid shouted out "Heads down!"

Everyone ducked down, avoiding the hanging ivy as we sailed beneath the cliff, which was actually more of a wide rock bridge. We sailed along until the water stopped on a pebble-strewn shoreline where all the boats grounded.

As one, all of us students got out of the boats and followed Hagrid up a somewhat narrow stone path that sloped upward. After we walked for a ways, we exited the stone path and were on the lawn leading up to the main entrance to the castle.

We ascended the stone steps following behind Hagrid. He looked over his shoulder, he asked "Everyone here?" After watching a moment to satisfy himself that we were all still there with him, he knocked three times on the door with his gigantic fist


	7. Chapter 7 Bonded?

**Chapter 7, Bonded? Where students and things start getting sorted…**

The door swung open, and Professor McGonagall stepped out to look at us gathered at the base of the stairs below her. She looked as she had in both of my previous lifetimes, from her black hair worn in a bun, to her green robes, to her stern countenance. While she could be kind and insightful when needed, her professional demeanour was always formal, and typically stern. She was _not_ to be crossed, either as a teacher or person; and she gave plain warning of this to all who had eyes to see.

"The Firs' Years, Professor McGonagall" Hagrid greeted her. While there would be no other group of eleven-year-old children on the grounds at that place and hour, the forms do need to be followed.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," she said in return. She opened the castle door up almost fully. Hagrid walked around her and entered the castle to take his place at the staff table. The group of us followed her into the castle. We crossed the flagstone paved entry hall, with Harry's head once again on a swivel as he unobtrusively took my hand in his again. Even having seen this hall routinely for well over twenty-two years between two lifetimes and two children's attendance, it never failed to impress. The hall was easily big enough to hold either The Burrow or the Dursley's suburban house without being completely unusable as a hallway. I could feel Harry's excitement and wonder over the bond. As we crossed the hall, we could hear the gathered voices of the other students though the closed doors of the Great Hall itself.

Professor McGonagall led us into the small side chamber where we would wait until she brought us out to have us sorted. Once Professor McGonagall gathered all of us into the rather cramped room, with Harry subtly and nervously continuing to hold my hand, she instructed us on what would happen in the next few minutes, and what she expected from us.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony. While you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called…" I let Professor McGonagall 'fade into the background' without being obvious about it, and looked about at my fellow students. All of them appeared to be suitably impressed, whether Muggle-born or of multiple generations raised in the magical world. Professor McGonagall concluded, "…I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Harry tried to flatten his hair with his left hand. Neville was finally able to straighten his cloak. He had somehow twisted it around so the collar fastener was just beneath his left ear. Everyone else primped nervously, and in some cases futilely for a few moments.

Professor McGonagall said, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." She turned about and left, presumably to set up the sorting hat

Harry and I looked around, and noticed that everyone else was more nervous then they were a few minutes before. He asked me, "Do you think anyone knows how they sort us?" The "else" was silent but implied.

I answered, "No, Harry. It's one of those 'magical school tradition things.' Fred and George told me when I asked that we had to wrestle and beat a Mountain Troll."

" _Really,"_ Harry asked in fright that would have convinced me, were he not still holding my hand and letting his true mirth pass through. It was nice to see his sense of humour coming out. But _I_ wasn't quite ready to start pranking before we were even sorted.

"Of course they told me that, Harry. But they were just taking the piss. They make the sorting a mystery jut to mess with us."

" _Language_ , Ronald" Hermione saw fit to interject.

Ok, now the prank was so _on._ "I hope they aren't doing 'snap-NEWT exams' again this year, Harry. Last year, Madame Marchbanks was in a truly foul mood because the arthritis in her back was acting up. She failed fully _one third_ of the first years for _breathing wrong,_ and they had to scramble to get accepted at the 'hedge academies' with _no refund for Hogwarts Tuition!"_

-EEP!- -THUD- It figures that the _one_ student who would actually _pass_ a 'snap-NEWT exam' sorting would also be the one who fainted. While I could feel Harry's amusement, I could also feel a slight chiding as well. I felt a 'pull' somewhere in my mind as Harry drew his wand.

" _Enervate"_ he cast verbally at Hermione, waking her up. His immediately reholstered his wand, and he helped her up with his right hand. He still held my right hand in his left without anyone noticing.

"Are you ok, Hermione?" he asked.

As she nodded slowly, Harry added, "And Ron was taking the Mickey with you, after you called him out for language. There is no such thing as 'snap-NEWTS,' as a sorting or otherwise. It figures that the only student that would actually _pass_ one is also the only one who fainted." He gave her that lop-sided grin that often passed for a smile with him.

Hermione sniffed, "It was still mean, though..."

He replied, while squeezing my hand almost tight enough to hurt, "And I'm sure he will apologize to you, _right,_ Ron?"

"Of course, Harry. But in all fairness, I was trying for _everyone,_ including _you._ And she _was_ kinda rude correcting _very quiet_ language that wasn't really that bad. But, 'sorry' Hermione, for taking the Mickey about the sorting."

"Apology accepted, Ron. And I'm sorry for correcting you as I did. I'll try to watch my language, if you try harder to watch yours, deal?"

"Deal," I answered, and shook her hand, since Harry lad let go for a moment. I could still his happiness at the way things turned out.

Several people behind us screamed, announcing a group of the castle ghosts passing through to get their first look at this year's "firsties." They were debating amongst themselves about whether to allow Peeves the Poltergeist to attend the feast this year. All of us in the room turned around to see what was going on. Harry took my hand back, and I could feel his fear and unease.

I said to reassure Harry, but in a full normal voice so anyone else needing it would hear as well. "Good evening, castle and house ghosts! How was your summer?"

The Fat Friar, more correctly Friar Tuck of Copmanhurst answered, "Just fine, Mister… Weasley?" I nodded at him and he spoke again. "Just so. We were debating whether or not to let Peeves attend the feast this year. His behaviour hasn't been _that_ bad over the summer…"

"Or that _good,_ either, Friar." Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, the Gryffindor House Ghost added. "The Baron will want time with his house students without the bother of herding Peeves, and besides, Peeves gives us _all_ a bad name, and he's not even a _real ghost!_ "

Professor McGonagall opened the door to the room that led directly to the great hall. Friar Tuck said, "Good luck, all, with your sorting! I hope to see at least some of you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know…"

"Thank you, Friar, I'll take it from here" Professor McGonagall told the Friar, with that all the ghosts passed directly through the wall and into the Great Hall.

"Now form a line, and follow me," the Professor instructed us. As quickly as we could, we arranged ourselves by last name, Harry insisting on only saying 'P.' With no fanfare; he got behind Sally-Anne Perks as the line winded its way through the doorway. I fell in at my place towards the end, with only Blaise Zabini behind me.

Harry's head was once again on a swivel, and he wasn't the only one. The Great Hall was still great, with its four parallel student tables pointed end-on to the raised platform with the long Staff Table. Countless taper-type candles that floated in mid-air without dripping so much as a hint of wax provided soft yet sufficient illumination. The night sky was plainly visible overhead; the enchantments amplifying the light of the stars overhead over the background light of the candles. The enchanted ceiling was in fact "more real than real." I heard Hermione remark about having read about it in _Hogwarts, a History._

I looked about the room myself, having the time. Professor Quirrel, or 'Quirrelmort' as I not so fondly though of the arsehole, was sitting next to Professor Snape on what would be the left end of the table from the students' prospective. Professor Dumbledore was just as affable yet inscrutable as ever at the table-centre. Hagrid had taken his place at far right, and was paying full attention to the sorting. He and 'first Harry' were always fairly close. My three brothers were watching from the table, all of them with their backs to the far wall so they could watch without facing back around.

The front of the line of first year students ended close to the centre aisle of the main student level. Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool on a raised box that suddenly appeared. She placed the Sorting Hat on top of that.

The Sorting hat did its own version of looking around the Hall, opened what passed for its mouth, and started to sing its annual Sorting Poem.' "Oh, you may not think I'm pretty…"

I paid just enough attention to make sure that it was the poem from my first timeline, rather than some dire warning. I could already hear " _not Slytherin_ " echoing in my mind. I was also nervous for all sorts of reasons.

The poem finished, and the students applauded. Harry looked back at me, rather pale and nervous. I smiled, waved, and quickly winked at him to lighten his mood. It worked somewhat; he smiled and turned around. But, I could still feel his nerves, along with the chant of _"not Slytherin."_

Professor McGonagall stepped forward carrying the class roster written on a scroll.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

With that, the sorting was on, with no obvious changes from my first sorting. There were two subtle ones, though.

The first was Neville Longbottom. In my first lifetime, he was a "hat-stall," or a sorting that took a noticeable amount of time. During _that_ sorting, he was actually in tears by the time he was sorted into Gryffindor, and was so relieved yet still so nervous that he went to the Gryffindor Table while still wearing the hat!

For this sorting, though, the sorting was different even if the results remained the same. Neville confidently put the hat on his head and sat on the stool. Not ten seconds later, the hat stood up straight as in fright! The hat stood at attention, as Neville and it had a quick but animated discussion. The hat loudly announced "Gryffindor," and went limp. Neville stood, placed the hat on the stool, and quietly thanked it. He strode to his place towards the far end of the Gryffindor table where the first-years were congregating, and sat with his back to the wall.

The second was Harry himself. In my first lifetime, he was also a "hat-stall." He was again, but not quite the same way. After Sally-Anne Perks became a Hufflepuff, Harry put the hat on and sat down. I could feel his anxiety through our bond, and the chant of _"not Slytherin"_ became nearly a chorus. I felt a quick presence in my mind that I was about to find out was the hat giving me a quick read, before the hat announced with pride in his voice, "Gryffindor!"

The reaction was exactly like the first time, complete with Fred and George giving their 'table show.' Harry walked to the far side of the table, sitting to the right of Neville and across from Sir Nicholas, who decided to sit at the table during the sorting.

A student or two later Dean Thomas became a Gryffindor. A few students later, and it was time for Ronald Bilius Weasley Sorting, version three point oh.

I approached the stool and put the hat on my head with the commonly expected nervousness on the outside. On the inside, I was almost in a full panic. I sat down on the stool.

" _Relax, Ronald. I will not separate your from your bond mate"_ the hat reassured me in my mind.

I asked mentally _"Are there any other soul-bonded student pairs here? Or time-travellers?"_

" _No soul-bonded pairs. There were echoes of a previous Daphne Greengrass, but she didn't 'make it' like you did, so the Daphne here is only eleven and might not appreciate your friendship if approached by someone acting like a former spouse. With your circumstances, it's just as well. No other time and dimension travellers besides you are here._

" _Neville Longbottom, at least in this time, is the youngest and only_ surviving _child of a soul bond pair of your age group. He already knows Harry and you are bonded and accepts this. He will help if you let him. You will need to speak with the Headmaster before too long, he will also be able to help both Harry and you, even beyond the adjustments the Headmaster will need to make for Harry's and your privacy._

" _You're starting to look like a_ 'me-stall!' _So, off you trot to_ GRYFFINDOR!"

The 'Gryffindor' was shouted out for the entire hall to hear. And, much to my surprise, the Great Hall went almost as crazy for me as it did for Harry! I walked around to sit next to Harry as the Twins were giving a _second_ table-show!

"Hand-Cast Ronnie! Hand-Cast Ronnie!" they shouted as I walked around. Percy actually shook _my_ hand as I tried to walk past.

He told me, "Great prank on us with Harry Potter. You got the twins, too; though I'm not sure they'll admit it. Mum _forced_ us to keep the 'fame' stuff from you until now. You aren't mad, are you?"

I was frankly more impressed by Percy openly admitting that he cared about my feelings then feeling _anything_ about having any kind of 'fame' hidden from me. The 'why' was fairly obvious—Mum and Dad didn't want me to get a 'big head' over something they had _hoped_ that I had forgotten about. Part of the 'how' was also obvious. All of those books I got to research Harry and the two Dark Wars _were_ filtered through Mum and Dad, so even if I _did_ manage to get the unfiltered true (as far as was written anyhow,) violent, and scandalous historical accounts, there _would_ be _something_ they would refuse to let through no matter what. How they 'blocked' things with me working at Ollivander's was more of a mystery, but not by that much. Master Garrick would have had to have been in on things with Mum and Dad as part of the deal where I got permission to work with and train with him in the first place.

As we released our handclasp I said, "No worries, Percy. If Mum puts her foot down, best not be under it, eh?"

"But you aren't angry, even with Mum and Dad?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Of course not, Percy, they did it because they love me, like they do all of us" I answered.

As I walked past Fred and George, who had just gotten down from the table after losing _another_ five points for Gryffindor, I said, "And this sees us even for me sneaking 'The Boy Who Lived' past you onto the train, _right?_ "

They nodded in agreement, one of them saying, "Right, even it is," and the other one saying, "We'd have told you on the train, but we couldn't find you. And we were also helping baby-sit Lee Jordan's new pet. We can show you in the common room, if you like?"

I replied, perhaps _too_ quickly, "That's all right. You see _one_ tarantula, and that's one too many!" I'll just go sit next to Harry now."

With that, I was able to escape the Twins, and sit down between Harry and Neville, with Harry on my right.

As Blaise Zabini became a Slytherin, Neville said, "I found a most interesting scrap of parchment, Ron. Give it a look?"

I nodded and read, in Neville's handwriting, _"Remove your right shoe and sock NOW. Put them in a robe pocket, roll your right trouser leg above your knee, and bunch your robes up past it."_

I nodded again as I unobtrusively followed the note's instructions. No sooner had I finished then Harry hooked his left leg around my right. He caressed the top of my foot with his toes and sighed in relief. While we _both_ had the slightest hint of a 'foot-fetish,' there was nothing sexual about it. As he sighed again, I noticed that a tension and discomfort that was just as much mine as Harry's faded away. I squeezed Harry's hand before we both raised our hands back to on top of the table.

Hermione asked, "So you're _that_ Ron Weasley?"

I answered, "I guess so, seeing that I'm the only one here. How many books do you have that your parents have not seen and don't know about?"

She blushed purple, and I continued "Probably not many, by the look on your face. With the wizarding world being fairly spread out, it's not like I could get anything that they didn't see or know about. While I worked at Ollivander's, Master Garrick would have to have gone along with my parent's wishes in order for me to work for him."

She sniffed, "Well, it _was_ only a quarter-page…"

I replied, "So long as I did what was _right,_ it just _doesn't matter._ Not all heroes make the history books, and I'd honestly prefer obscure but honourable conduct to historic infamy, anyhow." In my first lifetime, Fred barely made the 'histories and Colin Creevey not at all, save the listings of the dead. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle did. Given the choice, I know which remembrance _I_ would prefer to leave to posterity - and it is _not_ the ones left by the younger Crabbe and Goyle of my first lifetime.

Professor Dumbledore standing to start the 'start-of-term banquet' at least temporarily ended our conversation. He spread his arms magnanimously and pronounced "Welcome, one and all, to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down to the applause of the entire hall. Harry looked (and felt) confused, wondering whether or not he should laugh.

As the food appeared on the platters, Harry turned to me and asked, "Is he – a bit mad"

I answered, "Not mad as such, but definitely 'crazy like a fox.' The words he said were each a very obscure but gentle insult from each of the houses to each of the three others—and only the two of us, plus whoever is hearing me speak, even have a clue! He _is_ one of the most brilliant wizards living, so I suppose he must do _something_ to drive away the boredom. Potatoes?"

Harry's eyes momentarily became saucers as he saw all the platters of food. As we served ourselves, I told him, "The peppermint humbugs are actually for 'afters,' and should have shown up with the desserts. Set a couple by your plate for after you finish dessert to keep your breath fresh until we brush our teeth before bed."

Food was passed around, served, and the eating of the food commenced. Harry did as I suggested with the humbugs, and Neville and I followed along. Hermione didn't, but with two dentists for parents, since she seemed to be basically the same as 'first Hermione,' she abstained since the humbugs were likely NOT sugar-free.

Harry asked, "Can you explain what Professor Dumbledore _meant,_ though?"

I answered, "I suppose so.

"The Headmaster is known for disliking the extremes to which the four student houses take their rivalries and competition, even though he believes that the competition itself _helps_ the students to do their best everyday – which will only help you later on in life. While competition is good at times, failing to find and unite behind a common purpose is often destructive.

"Ravenclaws are the house of academic brilliance. They tend to see those who are not in their house as 'nitwits,' since they 'weren't smart enough to get in to Ravenclaw.'

"Gryffindor is the house of valour and courage. In order to 'ride to the front of the battle' in classical times, you actually have to be in sufficient physical condition _to_ ride to the front. Gryffindors will tend to see the other houses as 'blubbers,' or those who don't have the physical wherewithal to be brave. Pure 'schoolyard bully' mentality, that.

"Slytherin has always been a house of ambition and cunning. It has also often been a house of long tradition, or 'purity' of magical blood, though seldom to the extremes fomented by Voldemort."

After allowing for the gasps of the others listening in to pass, I continued.

"As I was saying, Slytherins see themselves as 'pure and complete.' They believe that if you didn't make it into their house, that you must be an 'oddment' or a scrap from a bolt of cloth with no purpose, because you weren't 'complete' enough to be of any use in or to their house.

"Hufflepuffs see themselves as humble and virtuous. They see the members of the other three houses as being _excessive_ in some trait or other, and thus needing a major 'tweak' to become 'decent people.'"

We students continued eating our feast, while Sir Nicholas watched wistfully.

"That does look good," Sir Nicholas told Harry while sadly watching him cut his steak.

"Can't you - ?" Harry asked

"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," Sir Nicholas answered. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who _you_ are," Lavender Brown exclaimed. "My cousin told me all about you. You're 'Nearly Headless Nick!"

I _had_ hoped that by remaining silent that I would have spared Sir Nicholas' feelings. But, some things just aren't meant to be, I guess.

Sure enough, Seamus Finnegan joined in. "How can someone be _nearly_ headless?" he asked.

"Like this," Sir Nicholas snapped, pulling on his left ear, and hinging his head onto his shoulder. Looking pleased at having stunned almost all of us, he hinged his head back upright and said "So – new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup for six years in a row, now! The Bloody Baron has become almost unbearable now – he's the Slytherin House Ghost."

Harry and I looked across the hall to see the Bloody Baron, in all of his blood-soaked glory, sitting ominously next to Draco Malfoy. I felt Harry's slightly vindictive amusement with the seating arrangements across the Hall, and agreed with him in full. Harry even giggled slightly.

"How'd he get covered in blood?" Seamus asked in great interest

"I've never asked" Sir Nicholas answered delicately.

I heard Harry think, "I bet Ron knows…"

I decided to try intentionally sending back a message. I thought back _"I bet the Old Man will also tell his favourite Brat, but not here with an audience…"_

Harry started, and started to blush.

Before he was obviously blushing, I said so only he could hear it, "I'll tell you the story, later in the common room. It _is_ an embarrassing as well as a sad tale, and not for the amusement of students." He nodded, and got his complexion back under control.

He thought back, _"I'll try. Can you hear me, Old Man?"_

I answered back, _"Yes, my Brat. Remember how we're going to have to figure out the privacy thing? You were thinking_ very _loud. Let's pay attention to our classmates."_

By this time, everyone who was of a mind to had finished their dinners. The eating plates and flatware became clean and sparkling gold again, and the serving platters disappeared. After a few moments, the dessert platters appeared with a plethora of treats; from blocks of ice cream, to Jell-O, to pies and tarts.

Harry served himself a generous slice of treacle tart almost as quickly as the house-elves had sent it up from the kitchens. With desserts served and started upon, the conversation turned to where and how we first-years grew up – surprisingly led off by Neville Longbottom.

"Gryffindor courage and all, I'll start things off with how we grew up.

"I'm what some would call a 'pure-blood' Light wizard, from a Light family. The seat of power of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom is in Kent, as the seat of the once again Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter is in Somerset. I'm the youngest of three children of a soul-bonded pair, and the only one to outlive the Voldemort War by more than a week."

Everyone around, save Harry and me gasped at Neville's use of Voldemort's name, without quite grasping everything else. Neville continued, and 'put paid' to that.

My eldest sibling, Francis Longbottom Junior, was almost conceived in this very hall. Mum and Dad tried to hide and slow their soul bond down as long as possible without outside help, and 'almost' made it. Dumbledore had his phoenix familiar take them up to the Astronomy Tower, which was typically empty during most Wednesday lunch periods in April, since he realized what was happening. Of course, this was after Mum and Dad decided there were more important things to do with their uniforms than to continue _wearing_ them.

"While Junior was _at_ the wedding, he was still inside Mum, and supposedly didn't show, so it was all good. He was a toddler during Mum and Dad's seventh year. Mum and Dad graduated from Hogwarts in '76, and were both fast-tracked through Auror training.

"My sister Alicia was born in mid-August of '78. My memories of her aren't as strong as those of Junior, but she was sweet, and once I was toddling about, she liked to have me over for tea with her stuffed animals, since unlike Junior I actually played along.

"I was born on the thirtieth of July 1980, two hours earlier than Harry and in the next birthing suite over in St. Mungo's.

"Sadly, my clearest early memory is of the night everything went to hell. To put a point on it, the LeStrange Brothers, Bellatrix Black LeStrange, and Junior Crouch literally cut my elder siblings into pieces. Then they tortured my parents into perpetual mutual insanity with the Cruciatus Curse while I watched petrified and hidden under a disillusionment charm behind a tablecloth over the dining room table. And whatever the Obliviators on the response squad got rid of, they _didn't_ get rid of _that!_ I remember that evening just as clearly as I remember today's train ride from London.

"My Gran raised me, with occasional help from Great Uncle Algie and Great Aunt Enid. For the longest time, they were afraid that I had been born a Squib, and I was scared that the LeStranges and Junior Crouch had scared the magic out of me. While I'm sure they all loved me, they were desperate almost to the point of cruelty to try to 'force' some magic back out into the open; particularly not-so-Great Uncle Algie.

"When I was six, the bastard chucked me off of the end of Blackpool Pier. I almost drowned, but the bastard _got his._ Even being a high muckedy-muck in the Department of Mysteries, the Ministry actually waited over the long bank holiday to bail him out and Obliviate the local police. He spent his bank holiday in the "tank" in the Blackpool Gaol minus wand, since Gran had swiped it from him and was too busy consoling her grandson to get around to giving it back. Did you know that a lot of Blackpool Muggle Criminals have little care for those who try to murder children? Great Uncle Algie sure found out!

"I finally got 'lucky' when I was eight. Great Uncle Algie 'accidentally' chucked me out of a second story window while Great Aunt Enid passed him a meringue. Instead of going 'splat,' I bounced unharmed down the lane. Everyone cried tears of joy and relief that I actually had and _still had_ my magic! Great Uncle Algie also cried tears of pain as Gran 'accidentally' punted him in the bits. He and Great Aunt Enid weren't allowed on the grounds for six months, and things are still slightly strained between them.

"But Great Uncle Algie _meant_ well, I think. He got me my pet toad Trevor as a gift for entering Hogwarts. Since I am very fond of Herbology and gardening, he'll make the perfect companion, or at least he will once I convince him to quit going on walkabout.

"Gran always wanted me to follow in Dad's footsteps, and still does. I want to also. But, she insisted that I carry Dad's wand, too. It's not as if he'll be needing it right away. But, it's almost as responsive to my magic as a Muggle Dowel. Until I tried another student's wand on the train ride here, I wasn't sure I was really and truly a wizard! I can feel my power now, and I'm happy. But, I won't be doing the practicals until at lest after this weekend, since while I have _'a wand,'_ I don't actually have one that _works._ I'm also a bit absent-minded, and sometimes have trouble with things that require rote memorization."

"Nyyah!" Neville was met with a face full of Kneazle familiar. Lucky Boy licked his face, purred loudly once at him, and then _moved_ to my shoulder, purring loudly. Fortunately, I only had room for a small scoop of ice cream, which I had finished

"I guess the arrival of my familiar means that it's my turn. I'm Ron Weasley. I'm from a working-class branch of a family with some rich branches and some not so much. Dad is in charge of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Department at the Ministry, and Mum stayed at home to raise us kids rather than work outside of the house. Since Dad's not on the take, and since he doesn't easily suffer those who are, his budget and salary have been played with over the years. Our wealth is with our family. There's seven of us counting me, plus Mum, Dad, two post owls, and Lucky Boy here.

"My life hasn't been 'interesting' like Neville's. All of us kids were home-schooled. We live in Ottery St. Catchpole, which the Muggles call Ottery St. Mary. It's a small village on the River Otter in Devon, not too far from Exeter. It's such a small village, in fact, that at least _some_ of the "Marysiders" know about the "Catchpolers," and nobody 'rocks the boat.'

"I'm the only wizarding boy my age around there. I hung out mostly with the Twins, my younger sister Ginny who will start Hogwarts next year, and our neighbour Luna Lovegood, who is Ginny's age. Luna's Mum and Dad publish _The Quibbler._ Amos Diggory also lives there, his son Cedric is a Hufflepuff fourth-year.

"For pocket money, I expanded the family chicken coop, and sold the eggs to the village grocer since our property is blatantly magical and we can't allow the Muggles near it. I also mowed lawns in both sides of the Otttery, and I work as a part-time junior apprentice to Garrick Ollivander. You didn't see me, Hermione, but I actually helped Master Garrick find your wand. Vinewood, 10 and three-quarter inches, with a dragon heart-string core, and an even better match now that you're using it, right?" Hermione nodded in stunned silence.

"My familiar here is Lucky Boy. I named him that when I got him, when I was almost four and a half. My Mum, Dad, Ginny, Percy, and I went to the Magical Menagerie that day to get Percy a pet Kneazle. I found this guy cold and almost dead on the floor under the cages. He was so small that he just barely filled the cupped hands of this four-and-a-half year old. We bonded quicker than you can say it, Percy never _did_ get a Kneazle, and here we are almost seven years later. We each know where the other is at all times, and our magic supports and strengthens each other's. He's a bit bigheaded, and a bit of a show-off, but he has every reason to be. He does things I haven't even _heard_ of other Kneazle familiars doing. I named him 'Lucky Boy' to remind both him and _me_ that we were _both_ lucky to meet each other that day.

I put a small spoonful of ice cream on my plate, and Lucky Boy turned around to enjoy _his_ dessert. Hermione asked in disgust, "You let your familiar eat at your _table?_ "

I answered, "Sometimes, he let _us_ eat at _his._ Do _you_ fancy treading in a plate of ice-cream and Kneazle saliva?"

She shook her head 'no,' and our other classmates went through a much-abbreviated introduction.

As they did, Harry asked through the bond, _"So why the long introductions from Neville and you, Old Man?"_

I answered, _"I don't know about Neville, but did you really want to tell_ your _story here, Brat?"_

" _No."_

" _You're welcome, Brat."_

Harry nodded in reply as all the plates and flatware vanished to the kitchens. With the extra 'story-telling time,' we didn't receive (or at least notice) any intrusions from Quirrelmort or Professor Snape. Professor Dumbledore proceeded with delivering the start-of-term notices to the now-silent hall.

"Ahem – just a few more words to give you now that we are now all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the eponymous Forbidden Forest is just that to all students.

"I have also been asked by our caretaker, Mr. Filch, to remind all students that magic should _not_ be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madame Hooch.

"Finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Harry asked me silently, _"What's that about?"_

I answered, _"I'll tell you later, but he is_ NOT _kidding!"_

Dumbledore enthusiastically finished, "And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" The teachers winced, everyone stood, and Dumbledore waved his wand, causing a ribbon to come out of his wand with the words to the song legible on it.

As Dumbledore told the students to pick any tune and start singing, Neville grabbed Harry and me by the arm. He said quietly, so that only we could hear: "You guys trust me, and that I know what I'm talking about?"

Harry nodded at once, I followed up closely behind.

Neville instructed us "Follow me right now. Never mind your trouser legs or shoes, just don't slap the floor too hard with your bare feet. We need to see the Headmaster about _your_ bond as soon as he releases us to the dorms, and this is the only way I see to make that happen. I'll stick around as long as you want or need. Follow me!"

At that, he took off towards the Teachers' Table, with us close behind. Between the cacophony of eight hundred separate melodies for the school song, and the natural order of eleven-year-olds tending to be shorter than their classmates, we were at the end of the Gryffindor Table closest to the Teachers' Table well before Fred and George finished their school dirge. The Headmaster noticed us. Neville looked Professor Dumbledore dead in the eye with a big smile on his face, almost _daring_ the Headmaster to cast Legilimency on him.

Did I say 'almost daring?' There was no 'almost' about it, and the Headmaster seemed to get the message, nodding to Neville. The song finally finished, everyone applauded, and the Headmaster gave his closing words.

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all you do here. Now, off you trot."

The rest of the students started to file out of the Great Hall; Percy had joined us without our realizing it from the rear, followed by Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall to the front.

"Mr. Percival Weasley, I need to see your brother, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Longbottom about a very important and very _personal_ matter that you will learn about in due time. They are _not_ in trouble, and your discretion is _required._ You have your first years to help escort now, have a very pleasant evening."

Percy left quickly to catch up with his fellow fifth-year prefect and the other first years.

Professor Dumbledore said, "You three should follow me towards my office so we can get things sorted."

Neville, Harry, and I followed along, with a bemused Professor McGonagall bringing up the rear. We made it to the entrance to the Headmaster's Office, with its Grotesque standing guard. Dumbledore gave the password 'Mars Bar,' and the Grotesque stood aside, revealing the magical spiral staircase. We followed him up the staircase and to his office.

Fawkes trilled a greeting to us as we entered. Dumbledore conjured a comfy looking narrow love seat, flanked by two upholstered chairs in front of and facing his desk. As he crossed behind his desk and sat down, he instructed us "Messrs Potter and Weasley please sit in the love seat and hold hands while touching your legs together. Mister Longbottom, you may sit to their left. Minerva, you may sit or stand as you please, but sitting might be the better course.

"While I can see for myself now that I'm looking for it, please explain what you know about Ron and Harry's soul bond, and how you recognized it as such."

Harry and I both startled, even with the expectation of this being the reason Neville brought us up here so quickly. Professor McGonagall was stunned beyond words.

Neville squirmed for a moment, sighed deeply, and started talking. "As I'm sure you remember, Headmaster, my parents were soul-bonded. What is less commonly known is that any who are children of a male to female soul-bonded couple can sense instinctively and without fail not only that a bond exists or is forming, but also has some sense of how far the bond has progressed, even more so than the people actually living the bond.

"I met Ron and Harry face-to-face at around two o'clock this afternoon. Their bond was already unbreakable without killing them, but they were both still total and complete virgins. They hadn't even masturbated. I shared their boat across Black Lake at six-forty three this evening; they had given their virginity almost completely to each other, oddly enough only leaving some of the least intimate acts rather than the most. I'm not sure how male to male bonds work but I feel that they are about to start the touch-bonding process in hours if not moments."

And of course, as soon as Neville said that, the PAIN hit! My mind was in a jumble of pain, trying to console Harry, Pain, Harry's Pain, background talking, and PAIN. Did I mention the pain? It would seem that orgasms aren't the only things that bounce around in these crazy bonds. I heard snatches of talk that I _still_ can't figure out.

"Don't banish….magic…worse…Auror holsters, both Ron's forearms and Harry's right…Of _course_ the house-elves can't get in to Ron's…I hope not…I want to watch even less than they will appreciate…MRROW…WHOOBRRK!..." Finally, the pain faded away, leaving Harry and me in a comfortable bed _somewhere._ I couldn't really _see_ anything, but I _felt_ Harry and could tell that he could _feel_ me. We were kissing, and I could just feel that his glasses were missing.

I spoke in his mind, _"Are you okay, Harry?"_

He answered, _"I think so, Old Man. Where are we? I feel safe, but don't know where we are?"_

" _I don't know, Brat. I feel Lucky Boy next to us. Where are we?"_

Lucky Boy tapped our faces with his paw, bringing us back out to the 'real' world. We were still in the Headmaster's office. Our love seat was now a double bed, which was actually quite enough since we were hugging tightly enough that we were only taking about one and a half people's worth of room. We were side-by-side with our bodies facing each other.

I said out loud, "Let's try to sit up and 'face the music' if we can without letting go.

I then asked the other three people "How long were we out of it? Can someone give Harry his glasses? Where's our stuff? And how did you get our holsters off?"

Dumbledore answered: "In order; forty-five minutes more or less. Mr. Longbottom, if you please? It's all here in the office and will be returned to you well before you need it, and _very_ carefully."

Professor McGonagall asked, "Why do you have _two_ wands in Auror Holsters, Mr. Weasley? And _why_ did you give a restricted magical item to an _eleven-year-old civilian?_ Being your… _lover…_ is not qualification to possess something you yourself shouldn't have."

Professor Dumbledore answered Professor McGonagall "I was aware that Mr. Weasley possessed two wands. Garrick gave me his reasons for Ron having them, and their holsters, which I quietly accepted and agreed with. This knowledge should _not_ leave this room."

Neville quietly answered "Yes, sir."

I said, "Harry Potter is _no_ civilian. I planned to give him the holster and teach him how to use it without attracting the attention of any who shouldn't know about well before I knew we were to be soul-bond mates. There is more we, or at least I need to tell that Harry already knows. However, after you hear it, I'll need an Unbreakable Vow from each of your or your consent to have that information Obliviated from your minds, along with an Unbreakable Vow not to tamper with either my mind or Harry's in _any way._ If Voldemort's supporters learn of it, it could easily lead to my death by torture, and the fall of the wizarding world to the Dark. Headmaster, here are three hints at just how big I'm talking. Fluffy. Stone. _Prophecy._ "

All three present sobered up even more than they previously had been. Neville was visibly frightened.

Professor Dumbledore answered me "Unbreakable Vows are dangerous things indeed Ron, as I suspect you know. However, you _do_ have my word that I will hear you out; keep your secrets at least as much as you actually need, and not to tamper with your mind or Harry's. Even an Unbreakable Vow can be bypassed if the person so bound is willing to die rather than keep their word, after all. If you entered this chamber without being able to trust that I would keep my word, then the 'folly of youth' has become greater today than even I had imagined."

I started off, "I have travelled against my will to the past two times, and have been involuntarily moved between dimensions at least once if not twice. If the Sorting Hat is allowed, he can vouch for the truth in what I say."

The Sorting Hat interjected "It is as the boy says."

Harry added, "Old Man told me all about it before I gave him my body. Though I _did_ get him starkers first…" the last part being said rather smugly.

To Dumbledore's raised eyebrow, I replied, "I was forced from my first lifetime to the womb of my mother in my second, and widowed, at the age of fifty-six. I was just shy of twenty-five when I was involuntarily transported _again,_ and widowed _again,_ just shy of my twenty-fifth birthday. This is either my original dimension, or very close to it, and I am biologically five months or so older than Harry no matter what. So, his 'bedroom' name for me is 'Old Man,' and mine for him is 'Brat.' Since we've already been forced to share everything short of a live demonstration…"

The room was utterly silent for a minute or so. Professor McGonagall broke the silence.

"For what it's worth, Mr. Weasley, we didn't have much of a choice, either. We _will_ respect your privacy."

Neville said, "Ron, Harry? Ron and I already said how my family and yours are tied together. I shared _my_ circumstances where I did for _your_ benefit, and only because I'll never really get Mum and Dad back. They are halted on the threshold of eternity, and I can neither push them forward nor draw them back. Your secrets are safe with me, and I will enthusiastically take an Unbreakable Vow if that is what is needed."

Professor Dumbledore took control of the conversation again. "I still say that the Vows are not necessary. It is tricky if not dangerous to try Obliviating any one who is soul-bonded, and I suspect that Neville has his own issues. Was telling him your past that important, Ron?"

"Neville was a major player in the war in both of my other lives. I believe that he will be an even bigger player in this one. While I don't recall Professor McGonagall being an Order member, she basically worked just as if she was."

Professor McGonagall asked, "Is there anything else _I_ need to be here for this evening?"

Professor Dumbledore replied, "Not for much longer. There are 'married' or 'guest' quarters quite close to here. When we are done, we'll move you to those quarters, at least temporarily, while we figure out what else to do. Ron and Harry will be excused from classes for at least tomorrow and Tuesday, the excuse being food poisoning from the train…

"NO!" Harry shouted. Old Man's food is the greatest! You won't insult it where I will hear about it! It's the first food that had _love…_ "

I kissed Harry to calm him down, though he still quietly sobbed. I said, "Perhaps, the food poisoning came from an odd-lot of candy or something? Or, maybe Harry and I were just eleven-year-old boys with eyes bigger than our stomachs since we bought two of every item on the cart plus a dozen extra Chocolate Frogs?

"Harry hasn't had a lot of friendship or affection in his life since his parents' passing. He is a fighter, and will defend what he sees as his from being casually trashed or stolen, like his Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin routinely did to him. Our emotional nerves are also totally raw. We might both say things in the next few minutes we wouldn't say as we might, if we said them at all."

Dumbledore said, "I understand, Ron. I will find some excuse that doesn't slander your skills as a chef. I will excuse Neville from classes tomorrow as well, at least for the morning. While he isn't ill, he will have been up rather late helping Madame Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, and me get Harry and you situated. By Tuesday afternoon, I will have hopefully figured out how to handle things without revealing your relationship publicly, if that is indeed possible.

"If revealing things between the two of you is unavoidable, the two of you will remain 'ill' for the rest of the week and possibly the weekend while we figure out how to handle things while doing the two of you the least harm if any harm at all. Depending on how things progress with the two of you, Professor McGonagall should bring your schedules by sometime during the day today, since it's just after midnight now. Since at least _one_ of you has actually taken the classes here before, I can trust that you can keep up with your homework, and each turn in _your own work, not collaboration,_ when you return to classes. Mr. Longbottom can see to getting you usable notes for the classes you don't attend?"

"Of course, Headmaster" Neville replied.

I told Professor McGonagall, "I have nothing else that can't wait, Professor McGonagall. Even if it was your job, thank you very much for helping Harry and me this evening.

Harry added, "Yes, thank you very much, Professor McGonagall."

The usually stern Scotswoman had a tear in her eye. She answered "You're welcome, both of you. Harry, I was particularly proud to have taught both of your parents. When the Headmaster placed you with the Dursleys, I objected quite strongly, since they were the most unpleasant sort of Muggles I have had the sad fortune to see. Had I to do things over again, you'd nae ha' gan wi' them…"

Harry replied soothingly, "It's alright, Professor. Ron explained about the blood wards, at least as much as he either knew, learned, or guessed. You didn't know things would be quite so harsh…"

Professor Dumbledore stepped in again. "Up to this point, I _have_ watched the Dursleys. Without Sunday's developments, they were just on the ragged edge of me keeping you in their care. The wards, even as feeble as they've remained with your Aunt's jealousy for her dead sister, and her uncalled for punishing of a nephew who neither caused or even knew of her grievances were _that_ strong. However, despite the wards having turned away at least three attacks that I am aware of with the Dursleys being none the wiser, their conduct was _that_ unacceptable.

"Your bond with Ron changes _everything._ Even with the Soul Bond Registry being kept secure in the Department of Mysteries, being Soul-Bonded is the same as becoming an adult by age in many magical instances. The Trace will have already have fallen off of your wands, and will not successfully cast or recast on any wand you actually own or use exclusively or regularly. While the instruments monitoring the wards haven't fallen yet, that is probably because of how young you actually are emotionally, Harry, even with you becoming knowingly and willing sexually active.

"Even should the blood-wards hold there is still Ron to think about. He is the most important part of _your_ life just as you are of his. While Arthur and Molly Weasley will most assuredly NOT be happy that their eleven-year-old son has an eleven-year-old boy lover, they truly love their son and will allow no harm to come to him, or you. If the wards don't fall before then because of the bond itself, you would need to return to Privet Drive for at least a month after school lets out in June to recharge them. You won't be able to be as far apart as Devon and Surrey for an entire month then, so Ron would have to live in your room with you at Privet Drive. Arthur and Molly Weasley would not allow the Dursleys within a mile of _any_ of their children; much less allow one to live in the Dursley's house unsupervised. So, the blood-wards are most likely a moot point even if they don't fall otherwise."

Dumbledore casually waived his wand. He announced, "The Trace is gone from all three of your wands. I know for a fact that Ron wasn't in London the day you went shopping Harry, even if he knew how to block the placing of the Trace or how to remove it."

I said, "I know _both_ , Headmaster. But blocking the Trace stone or removing the Trace tests both body and soul of the person doing the blocking or removing for being 'adult.' Thus, I couldn't do it if I wanted. And the Trace Register at the Underage Magic office logs anytime a Trace is removed before it expires, and the person who removed it. We might need you to do something about that?"

Dumbledore replied, "The entry for a soul bond based removal shows up as 'name of wand owner,' 'date of Trace Removal,' and 'Department of Mysteries.' The Department of Mysteries in turn _cannot_ volunteer the reason for the removal, and only the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Minister of Magic, and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot acting together and as one can sign the writ forcing them to provide the reason. I have it on very good authority that the Chief Warlock won't be signing such a writ anytime soon, if ever, unless it's to your benefit and advantage."

Getting things somewhat back on track, I asked, "So who is going to tell Mum and Dad? And what are the Dursleys going to be told, if anything?"

Dumbledore replied, "I will tell your Mum and Dad sometime tomorrow after your Dad returns from work, since he is working daytime hours this week. They will both want to come to the school right away to see the both of you. I will allow this, but only after I am certain that they will cause no avoidable problems. I'm sure you understand that they will be shocked, and may still be uneasy even after I am convinced that they won't cause needless 'difficulty.'"

Harry asked, "How many bedrooms will these quarters have? If there is a separate room so Neville won't be sharing with Ron and me, can he stay with us overnight? He's beyond dead on his feet, and probably won't appreciate having to deal with our dorm mates in the morning."

Dumbledore answered, "The apartment has two bedrooms, with a single en-suite lavatory with shower and tub. Ron and you _will_ need to confine yourselves to holding each other until he leaves if you have him stay over."

Harry replied, "Ron and I aren't into giving performances, Professor. Neville, do you want to spend the night with us?"

Neville answered, "I don't want to impose, but I'd have to be carried back to Gryffindor Tower as it is, since I only got a couple hours of sleep Saturday night. Will the house elves be able to get my stuff for me? And what will I do tomorrow?"

Dumbledore replied, "If you need to sleep past lunch, check with me if I'm available, or go to your house common room. If you're up for lunch in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall or I will see you. You will need to get notes for any classes you missed for Harry and Ron.

"If no one has anything else, we will adjourn to the 'guest' quarters, and get you three to bed."

With no one thinking of anything further, Harry and I wrapped ourselves in the top sheet as we got out of bed. While everyone else in the room probably already saw 'everything,' we weren't in any hurry to show them again to remove all doubt. Professor Dumbledore led the way down the magical spiral staircase, down the hall to the right, and to the portrait of a generic country public house.

Dumbledore told us, "The password is 'watchtower.' With the password pronounced, the door opened, and Dumbledore, Neville, Harry, and I entered. Professor McGonagall said, Good night, all, and left. The portrait closed behind us.

The 'common area' was about twenty by twenty-five feet, with a sofa, loveseat, and two wingback chairs. There was a fireplace along part of one wall, and three doors opened into the room in addition to the main entry. Dumbledore said, "The middle door is the lavatory. The room with Neville's nightclothes, bathrobe, fresh underwear and socks, and fresh uniform is Neville's for the evening. The one with Harry's and Ron's trunks and clothes is theirs. I'll leave you with your wands and holsters. Stay in this room until told otherwise, Harry and Ron. The house elves will bring you your meals as and when needed. Professor McGonagall or I will speak with the both of you later today. I bid you all a good night."

Professor Dumbledore left the three of us alone in the common room. Neville asked, "I've got your three wands and holsters. Where do you want them?"

I answered, "Let's find out which room Harry and I are sleeping in, and they can go in there. Harry is dozing on his feet, and I'm not that far behind."

We tried the room on the right first. It was Neville's. We went to the one on the left. Harry's and my trunks were at the foot of the full size poster bed. There were also two padded chairs, one of them had Harry's clothes cleaned and neatly folded, complete with Gryffindor necktie and jumper-vest, with his shoes beneath it. The others had mine set up the same way. I could tell because Harry's shoes hadn't been worn beyond when he put them on, on the train, where I had broken my shoes in during the two months I had them before school started.

I told Neville, "Set all of the wands on top of the chair furthest from the door, if you please and thanks? Then if you could help me get the Brat to bed? He's already asleep, and a lot heavier than he looks."

I dropped the sheet to the floor, and paid attention to getting Harry into the bed. Neville helped me open the curtains facing us, and pull the blankets and sheet down. I laid Harry out on the bed, removed his glasses, and set them on the nightstand closest to the side of the bed.

I looked at my lover, lying on the bed, as I held his left hand in my right. His right arm was laid out beside him as he lay upon his back. His face was peaceful and fully relaxed, making him somehow look even more innocent. Though in total honesty, most of the 'kinkier' ideas were his, and half of what was left he made 'kinkier;' not that I was complaining.

Other than the scar on his forehead, he had no scars visible as he lay on his back. He was about four foot ten standing, and I was already five foot one, but I _was_ six month older than he was, and tall for my age. His feet were actually larger than mine were, and had just gone through a growth spurt in both lifetimes from a 5.5 to a 9.5 over the summer; I only wore nines. Yet, altogether, he was at that moment the absolutely _sexiest_ person I had ever seen in _three_ lifetimes, and I had wondered how I'd never seen it before.

He awoke in an instant, but without opening his eyes. He said, "Neville, please hang on a sec. Don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to share something 'nice' with the Old Man, and _no,_ not that kind of 'nice.' You'll want to hear about it. Old Man, do _not_ look away."

His expression became somewhere between being happy and in awe. He smiled that lop-sided grin that seemed so _right_ on his young face. He stretched his feet without moving any other part of his body, other that 'that' which went from still fairly big back to rock-hard. He quirked an eyebrow, again without having opened his eyes, and wiggled his toes at me. He turned his head to face me directly, and finally opened his eyes.

His gaze was so beautiful; it was as if time itself had stopped! His leaf-green eyes were not a uniform colour, but all the shades were _true_ green, were _very_ close one to another, and radiated out from his pupils in very fine lines. His gaze seemed to pierce to my very soul.

He held my hand tighter, letting me know not to let go, and moved around just enough to be lying on his left side. He was raised up on his left elbow. His right arm lay along his body, his hand hanging loosely over his leg. His right leg was slightly bent with his left leg straight. He lightly caressed the top of his left foot with the toes of his right.

He said, "Put my glasses on my face, love; you've _got_ to see this!"

As I did, he said to Neville, "The fading scars on Ron's bum were from an accident. It's his tale to tell, but he was _not abused,_ like I was. It's his tale to tell, perhaps tomorrow. Mine _was_ abuse, but the Dursleys didn't get physical _that_ often once they realized that scars on the bum and back really _don't_ come from 'rough horseplay.' As they would say in grammar class, the Dursleys are truly 'past tense' in my life; just so long as the berks clear off before the wards fall and they get murdered, I'm good."

He then said to me, as his eyesight 'cleared," Ron, I'm saying this out loud so Neville can hear too. I just wish I could _show_ him."

Neville said, "Headmaster Dumbledore has what is called a 'Pensieve,' or so Gran says. They are fairly rare, so not many people have them. You can extract a copy of a memory with your wand, put it in the Pensieve, and watch it."

Harry said, "Cool! Thanks, Neville. I'm not sure I want a copy of _this_ in Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve, but if we can figure out how to share this, you've just _got_ to see it, although I'm not sure the emotions will 'carry through.'"

"Ron, look at me, but ignore your own sight, and see if you can use _mine._ If you can feel my magic and vision, make yours feel like that, and just watch."

As vague as those instructions were, I was able to follow them easily. In fact, he might have subconsciously tapped into my memories of looking through Lucky Boy's eyes when I tried it a time or two. I know it wasn't conscious, or else he would have used that as an example. I looked him intently but lovingly directly in the eye, and "changed over."

Even the Dursleys couldn't fuck _this_ up, though with the crap eyesight Harry had even with "glasses," it wasn't as if they hadn't tried. Looking through _his_ eyes, I finally realized just how stunning my own were, more in appearance than in function, though I've always had twenty-ten eyesight, so there's that too. They've always been a shade called "cornflower blue." And, looking Harry in the eye, I finally understood what I "did" to Hermione and Daphne in those other lifetimes. I could only gasp "wow" in quiet astonishment.

I then, using Harry's vision as a guide, moved to a point where he could see more of me without moving his eyes too much, though since we had to keep holding hands, our options were limited. Yet even with the crap eyesight, seeing my own body through his eyes, I was amazed at just how _sexy_ I looked! He looked up at my (now rather tousled) ginger hair, my freckled face, and of course, he stopped on the eyes again. His gaze trailed down

I wasn't freckled that heavily right then. With "death by GCSEs" being the main feature of Ginny's and my lives, we didn't goof off or work very much out of doors. But, when the weather was even remotely warm enough to do so, I did all of my physical exercise and training outdoors wearing only swim trunks and trainers, to get as much sun as I could. As his gaze included my arms, I could see the "tan lines" left by my holsters, though my right "holster lines" were somewhat more distinct since I had only gotten my second wand and holster at the end of June.

When you "freckle," you don't get tan lines the way even tanners get, unless you get _burn lines,_ which is generally not a good idea. But I could see the lines as Harry's gaze carried lower. He longingly admired the creamy-white skin that was normally under my swim trunks, and the whiteness of my feet, since I had not swam nearly as often as I had run the confidence course and otherwise ran.

He lovingly traced his gaze back upward, lingering on _that,_ which was now rock-hard and glistening, before looking back into my eyes. He then "broke" the spell by going back to living life rather than gazing at me.

He asked, "Do either of you know how to turn the lights on and off in this place?"

Neville answered, "You use the 'Nox' spell to turn them off, and the 'Lumos' spell to turn them on. The ensourcelling on the lights requires a firm and direct voice, so it's unlikely to be 'accidentally' tripped."

He than asked, "Do you normally take your shower at night or in the morning?"

"At night, usually. Why?"

Harry said, "My life has been in a blender from half-two on the train, on. I am _not_ handling it all that well, and Ron wants the doors left open so you can here if we, or at least if _I_ have any trouble.

"Ron and I also need to take care of something that you _don't_ want to hear, but won't take as long as your showering and getting ready for bed. So, Ron and I can turn out the lights in here if you can get the rest? And leave all the doors open please? His familiar uses the 'people' loo too, so leave the seat down and if there's a lid, leave it up please? Lucky Boy _will_ banish a lid if you leave it down and he needs to 'go.'

"Okay, Harry. Got it. By the way, what's a blender?"

I answered, "Muggle version of a self stirring bowl, combined with a pitcher, run full-out."

Neville answered, "Ok. 'Night, guys" as he walked out.

Harry answered, "'Night, Neville. And thanks for staying, and keeping our secrets. I don't know what we'd have done without you, and it means a lot to both Ron and me."

"You're welcome," Neville answered while 'Nox'ing' the lights as he went.

Harry then said in my mind, _"Look through my eyes again, Old Man. Your Brat needs a 'feeding,' and so do you! We need to make each other last for more than a half-minute, but still go quick enough that we're both 'fed and watered' and in bed before Neville is done with his shower. No charms, just us being quiet."_

Looking through his eyes, I shuffled over to where he could "reach" comfortably. I marvelled as he went down, alternating his gaze between there, and my enraptured face gazing down on him…

Just as the water shut off from the shower, we were both wiping our lips with a couple of tissues from the box that was on the nightstand on Harry's side of the bed. Except for _what_ we were wiping from our lips and mouths, which was still little more than saliva, we could have been finishing up a much more mundane "snack."

I then carefully crawled over Harry, got myself under the sheet and blankets, and pulled them up over us. Harry, with his glasses back on the nightstand, scooted over and wrapped his arms loosely about me.

"'Night, lover-mine" Harry murmured.

"'Night, lover-mine" I answered in return.

I _Nox'ed_ the lights, closed the bed curtains, and pulled up the blankets over us. I hugged Harry to my chest, and we were instantly off in dreamland.


	8. Chapter 8 Mum?

**Chapter 8. Mum? Where family issues are dealt with.**

I awoke to some degree of confusion, with Harry doing the same.

"Not a morning person, Old Man!" was my 'good morning' greeting.

I replied with "Good morning to you too, Brat. Or afternoon. Give me a sec?"

I opened the bed curtains and _Lumos'ed_ the lights. I wandlessly summoned all of our wands, and used my second wand to quickly and silently cast a Tempus charm. The result was a glowing '10:47 ante.'

"Still morning, Brat!" I told Harry as he became more coherent.

He replied with 'Gotta pee real bad! It'll hurt if we stop touching. Hold my hand and walk me to the loo?"

So, Harry and I started the day with our own version of "Skip to my Loo," complete with bouncing "morning wood."

We entered the common room to find Neville fully awake, fully dressed in his uniform, and trying to eat a rather tasty looking continental breakfast that was laid out on the coffee table, including a pot each of tea and coffee, along with Pumpkin Juice, Orange Juice, and water. Lucky Boy was quietly eating by the wall near the entry door.

I noticed this in a fairly quick pass through, though. I said "Sorry, Neville," as we passed through.

Harry added, "Look away if you don't want to see!" We made it quickly into the loo, "bouncing" as we went. It took us both a few seconds to "relax" enough to pee into the commode instead of straight up. This gave me the time to flip up the seat and lid. We had closed the door enough for modesty but left it open enough to talk.

Harry said in a slightly raised voice, "How did you sleep, Neville?"

"Good," he answered. "And you two?"

"Never better! JINX!" Harry and I answered in unison. The levity finally did the job, and we "deflated" enough to pee. After we finished, we both realized we had other business to attend to.

While we both were blushing bright red, we took turns sitting down and attending to that. We decided afterwards that a quick shower was called for. We washed and rinsed each other quickly, and stepped out of the show to dry off.

As we dried off, with Harry's leg wrapped around mine like the night before while we stood, he asked "Hey, Neville? How bad is our being naked freaking you out?"

He answered, "Not that bad, though even that is more seeing you both naked and hard. Why? And, uhm, were you guys that _big_ before yesterday?"

Harry answered, "I never noticed."

I added, "Harry and I are both 'early bloomers.' I started a little early this time around, but not by much. We'll both be bigger still if what Harry and I grew to in my first lifetime holds true."

"But I thought you guys didn't do anything before yesterday?"

"We didn't. Guys do talk even if they don't _show_ each other. I got up to 19cm in my first lifetime, and Harry told me he got up to 24. I got up to 19 in my second lifetime, too. In that one, though, Harry was a girl, bisexual, and her lesbian girlfriend wanted me dead. The psycho girlfriend was in fact the one that pushed me through to _this_ lifetime. So, really big turn-off between the female Harry and me, though she had the 'hots' for me like no one's business.

"I'd have tried seeing if it would work even with the lesbian girlfriend, except for the whole 'death' thing. Icing on _that_ cake was that the psycho bitch was the double to my affectionate if bossy wife of thirty-eight years who bore me two children and became Minister of Magic."

"You got it on with _Hermione Granger?_ " Neville and Harry exclaimed in unison.

"Hey, it worked for us, for thirty-eight years! That's longer than both of you two have been alive _put together._ But how did you guess it was her?"

"Smart and bossy! JINX!" Neville and Harry answered.

"Back to clothes!" Harry interrupted. "Neville, like I was saying before we got sidetracked. We want to hang out with you, but we _can't_ get dressed yet. Sharing a bed-sheet like we did coming down here will be a bother, but we'll do it if nothing else works. We can try putting on our boxers, but you noticed that we have a little 'more' than most guys our age, and Ron and I will probably be hard almost all of the time, so we'll really be uncomfortable, and you'll still see our 'stuff.' We can wrap towels around our waists. Easiest for Ron and me would be to just say 'to heck with it' and be naked, which we'd do if you _weren't_ here, and have a towel each in case McGonagall or someone stops by. We want to hang out with you, but we don't want you freaked out. What do you think, Neville?"

Neville was silent for a minute or so. He finally answered, "I guess you guys can go naked and have the towels handy. I understand a little bit of what you guys are going through, and I already used it to skive off of lessons for the rest of the day. Just, if _I_ have to get naked with you, let's wait until we've all eaten, okay?"

"Great!" Harry chirped. He almost took off into the common room, but thought better of it. Our finally sharing a "good-morning kiss" also clued him in to the fact that our breath wasn't exactly "minty-fresh," and an appointment with tooth-paste and a brush would also be a wise use of our time. We both had to share Harry's toothbrush and paste, since the house-elves couldn't get into my trunk. For that matter, I was going to need to key _Harry_ into it before too long, but anyway…

After we were both dried off, teeth brushed, and each had a pair of dry bath towels in case we needed to get "modest" as well as being polite by not sitting bare-bummed on furniture that others would also sit on, we walked out holding hands. Harry was rock-hard and I was not too far behind. I was blushing a _lot_ more than Harry was.

We sat down on the sofa facing the coffee table. Neville had moved one of the chairs to the other side of the coffee table, and was facing us.

As we served ourselves, Harry asked, "How did you manage to get orange juice in _this_ place?

Neville answered, "When Professor Dumbledore told my Gran everything that happened last night, including my introduction during the sorting feast, she was not only stunned, but she told me that she was 'prouder of me than she had ever been in her life.' She not only agreed to get me a new wand, but she agreed to have Dad's wand framed, so I could hang it in my bed to wake up to every morning. She also sent one of our house-elves, and that's how we got the orange juice. A lot of purebloods sneer at it, but part of the Longbottom fortune was built upon, and still comes from the citrus trade. Mipsy!"

Mipsy, Neville's house-elf, joined us. She was of average appearance for a house-elf, and wore a tea-towel toga with the Longbottom coat of arms on it. She said, "What is Master Neville wanting of Mipsy?"

While Harry watched in bug-eyed shock with his mouth open, Neville answered, "These are my friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Muggles raised Harry, so this is the first time he's seen a house-elf. They are both nice people, though. While Gran has you here helping the Hogwarts elves, you are to answer to them as well as to me. We're not done with breakfast quite yet. I just called you to introduce you. We'll be done in a few minutes, though. You may leave until one of us calls you again."

She answered, "There is being no hurry, Master Neville." She then popped away, leaving us alone again.

Harry asked, "Another busy day?"

I answered, "We'll have a lot of them for a while, too."

We finished eating all the food on the table between the three of us. Neville and Harry finished off the orange juice, I had two glasses of pumpkin juice, and we each had one (or one more in Neville's case) cup of coffee. I enjoy coffee, and Harry discovered that he did, too. But we limited it to one cup each because the bond was tending to keep us wired, and we didn't want to scare Neville off. He called Mipsy again, and she cleared away the remains of our (now) brunch.

Neville said, "Professor McGonagall has already been by, too. When I told her that I could do magic pretty good with your second wand, she left us some matches, with the instruction that you were to teach Harry and me to transfigure them into sewing needles, and that you were to do some yourself." He pointed to a box of matches on the end table closest to the door. She said that she wouldn't be back until after supper, and that no one else would likely be coming by before then, either. But I think that if you guys want to do anything other than talk, that you had better do that first, and then clean up before we do anything else."

I said, "I don't think we'll need to do anything like that right away. We can talk for a while and then try out the transfiguration lesson.

"I'll also have you read the text out loud to Harry and me. I found out last night that Harry's prescription for his glasses is crap, to the point that he probably gets headaches from reading…

"How did you know that?" Harry asked startled.

I answered him, "I could tell by looking through your eyes. Have you ever been to an optometrist?"

He answered embarrassed, "No, I just grabbed the best pair out of the charity bin at the church that I could find."

I said, "We'll get that sorted in the next day or two. But _Neville_ will need to get better at public speaking, and his reading the Transfiguration text to us will help him with that, as well as helping us."

"Mipsy." I called.

Neville's house-elf returned with a perfectly sized blanket for what we needed and spread it over Harry and me. By this time, Harry had "migrated" into my lap.

"Thank you, Mipsy; you are a credit to your house."

The house-elf blushed slightly, answered, "You are being welcome, Master Ronald," and vanished back to whatever else she was doing.

I continued, "After Neville's reading, I will give a short lecture on Transfiguration itself. After my talk, we will try the Transfiguration exercise.

"By the way, Neville, do you think you would want me to try reconditioning your father's old wand? I think that there is enough 'life' left in it that I could do so. If the wand is set back to rights, your children might be able to use it years down the road. Even if just a mantle piece, it will be a fitting memorial to your Dad's bravery to set it back to rights for him."

Neville asked, "You actually worked _on wands?"_

I shook my head slowly, but with a genuine smile on my face. I said, "I didn't make a fuss about it last night, but I _did_ say that I was a part-time _apprentice_ under Master Garrick, didn't I?"

He nodded, and I continued. "I started apprenticing under Master Garrick on the third of March in 1987; that was my seventh birthday present from Mum and Dad. For the first week, I only cleaned the shop and listed to Master Garrick talk about wands and wand-lore.

"He figured out before the week was up that I was an unwilling time traveller, and had bonded with wands in both of my previous lifetimes. After he decided that I was trustworthy which was the Friday of my first week, he started actually _training_ me.

"I was _officially_ a twenty-five hour per week part-time apprentice. The only reason that that 'flew' at all is that wand-crafters get a _lot_ less 'interference' from the Ministry. I oftentimes worked _longer_ then twenty-five hours for Master Garrick. But, unless someone actually _complained,_ no one was going to _do_ anything about it.

"Since I mowed lawns in the Ottery after I got off of work with Master Garrick anyway, the only concern _Mum_ had was that I wasn't skipping meals. So, if 12:30 tuned into 2:30 in the afternoon, so long as I was keeping up with my home–school studies, and wasn't 'burning myself out,' no one complained.

"By 1989, I was making new wands and reconditioning old ones brought in to the shop without _any_ direct supervision from Master Garrick, though he _always_ inspected or tested my 'end product,' to make sure it was up to snuff and wouldn't give the shop a bad name. Out of the forty-three students who started first-year Sunday, ten were carrying wands that _I_ had made, including both Hermione Granger and me. Five others were carrying 'heirloom' wands that I myself had reconditioned, including Zacharias Smith, and me again.

"The wand you used on the train was originally my Grandfather Septimus Weasley's wand, and then it was my brother Charlie's. After I reconditioned it, there was an 'incident' at the house where the wand rejected Charlie and blasted a hole in his hand because he chewed on it, and then ripped it out of my hand when I was checking how bad he damaged it. This put Mum into a flashback from the war, and she beat my arse with my father's trouser belt.

"This would have just been an embarrassment otherwise, but the buckle end of the belt, which was the end she was using on me, had battery acid on it from where my father had spilled battery acid from our Ford Anglia on it. With her getting my blood on it, and being in a 'flashback' of attacking the people who murdered my Uncles Fabian and Gideon with it, it became a very powerful wand, and basically ripped the skin off of my arse down to the muscle.

"That was in Mid-August of 1989. Even with magical healing, I spent three weeks in Hospital, oddly enough in the Hospital Wing here at Hogwarts. I wasn't able to go back to work for just over a month, and it was December before I could honestly say I was fully healed.

"The scars I have left are still fading, _two years later,_ because I use scar reducing cream on them _every_ day, or at least I had up to now. I should get them to go away completely before second year. If I _had_ been abused, I wouldn't give a shite. But I _wasn't,_ and every time Mum even _thinks_ about that day, it breaks her heart anew, so I am getting rid of _those_ scars so I can perhaps heal the rest.

"Back to the wands. That was my secondary wand. It is now blood-bound to me, and it's the one I use most of the time. It's the one I let you use on the train, since if I _ask it_ to work for someone else in my presence, it _will_ without complaint. My _primary_ wand is the seventh one I made all by myself. It accepted me, and me alone, the day and hour I finished making it, which was seven in the morning on the First of March in 1989. It stayed on the bench until the end of last June, because that was the earliest that Master Garrick could sell it to me.

"Hermione's wand was the eleventh wand I made. I hadn't said anything to her, because I don't think that she would accept that her wand was made by a boy who is six month younger than her, at least as far as the calendar reads. Out of a wand-crafter's early works, the seventh is the most powerful, followed closely by the eleventh, and then by the ninth.

"So, if you want, I can _quietly_ refurbish the wand for you, and your Gran will never find out and still get you a new wand. Your father's wand will be like new. Did the wand _ever_ let you cast with it?"

Neville answered, "I could get a _Lumos_ out of it, but I had to 'fight' to get that. _That's_ why I thought I was almost a Squib."

I said in reply, "No problem, Neville. That's why I stressed _quiet._ If the wand _doesn't_ accept you, it will still look its best in a frame, and your Gran will _never_ know unless _you_ tell her. Do you want me to try working on it?"

"Sure, if you can. How will you get to Ollivander's, though?"

"If I can at all, it will be fairly easy. We also have a 'trade' secret that allows to do top quality work much faster than other shops on the Alley, and for that matter other wand-crafting shops."

I then said, "Enough of the wand-lore." I cast a quick _Tempus_ spell, and continued. It's now almost one o'clock in the afternoon. We can call for Mipsy, have some sandwich points and crisps for lunch, and then on we go to Transfiguration and public speaking. With Neville's nodded agreement, and Harry coming around as well, that is just what we did.

§§§

It was one thirty before we finished lunch. It was almost four in the afternoon before we had read through the first three chapters of the Transfiguration textbook. I answered whatever questions Harry and Neville had as best as I could, while Neville read the text aloud, slowly gaining in confidence as he went.

I said, "I'll give a short lecture and introduction to close this up. After that, we'll eat an early supper, and try our first actual Transfiguration exercise—the matchsticks Professor McGonagall left for us.

"Transfiguration is the magical science and art of changing one thing into another. While the changes will fool the senses, and the changed items can often be used as the item they are changed into, the changes produced by Transfiguration are only _temporary._ In fact, one of the most important laws of Transfiguration states precisely that when it states that you cannot Transfigure an inedible item into edible food. While the Transfigured item will resemble food in every way, most such Transfigurations will fail with the first bite. The most dangerous Transfigurations will fail well inside your body, causing you grievous injury or even death.

"Professor McGonagall is famed for telling every first year class at their first meeting that Transfiguration is some of the most dangerous magic we will learn here, and that anyone fooling around in her class will be expelled from it. She is all too right in this!

"While the practical exercises Professor McGonagall has us do have almost no chance of going dangerously wrong, especially the ones she has us first-years doing, even _they_ can go wrong and hurt you if you are too careless. The principals we learn, if carelessly or wrongly done on other things _can kill you._

"Headmaster Dumbledore is famed for being a Transfiguration Master even greater than Professor McGonagall. In fact, he _taught_ her the art when she attended Hogwarts, and she was his immediate successor when he became Headmaster.

"Before Professor Dumbledore began teaching Transfiguration, Hogwarts averaged between three and seven Transfiguration students _crippled_ per decade, and between one and three of those dieing a lingering and _agonizing death!_ It was 'just the cost of doing business.'

"Hogwarts hasn't lost or seriously injured a Transfiguration student since just before Professor Dumbledore started teaching. Both Professor McGonagall and he intend to keep this up. If Professor McGonagall throws you out of class for good, Professor Dumbledore will _not_ override her. It takes a four-fifths majority of the Hogwarts Board of Governors to override the decision of a Headmaster, if they even agree to hear the case, which they are under no obligation to do.

"So, if you _are_ going to do stupid shite in a class, do _not_ do it in Transfiguration. You have been warned. "

This saw us to growling stomachs at almost half-five, and a quick round of sandwiches and pumpkin juice saw us to five o'clock and our first actual Transfiguring.

Neville had the brilliant idea of having Mipsy expand the back of Harry's bathrobe, and add an extra pair of sleeves, so both Harry and I could wear it at once. It was better than the sheet or towels and much more polite for anyone who we needed to have visit us, since it basically hid everything below our necklines, past mid-forearms, and above mid-calf. With Harry in front of me, we were both able to use the robe without our breaking contact or "take turns" with who could use their arms.

Harry claimed his wand out of his holster, I claimed my primary to use, and took out my secondary, Charlie's former wand, and gave it to Neville to use. He was somewhat frightened at first, after having heard what the wand had done to a previous wielder. But, between my assurances, and the wand's docile and responsive behaviour in Neville' hand, he was calmed down and able to trust the wand again, since neither he or it had actually done anything to each other to lose that trust in the first place.

Speaking again, I said, "Our introductory lesson is a relatively straightforward transfiguration, with practically no consequences other than a stern talking-to from Professor McGonagall if we fail. Neville, the matches, please."

Neville retrieved the matches from where they were set. I continued, "The object is simple. We transfigure a match into a sewing needle.

"The basic incantation for any Transfiguration is ' _Transfiguo.'_ For this transfiguration, Professor McGonagall will give the modifier, but the modifier is less important. In fact, after around second year or so, you will not actually use any incantations. The most important thing, other than your magic itself, is the will to convince your magic to cause the change. You trace the length of the match slowly, while pronouncing the incantation. You will need to pronounce the incantation several times during your transfiguration. I will try to 'take it easy' with this, since my actual speed would be beyond what you can do, Neville; or what _you_ can do, Harry, without tapping into _my_ magic. Great job _Enervating_ Hermione when she fainted last night, by the way. It should look like this.

As I felt Harry's blush and muttered 'thanks,' I took my wand and a match, and started the Transfiguration. Like I told Harry and Neville, I used almost no power, and tried to 'dumb-down' my speed and visible effort to that actually needed by a first-year. I took five passes and audible incantations, and produced a perfect sewing needle.

I said, "This is the end result. Neville; relax, focus your will to make the match become a sewing needle, imagine the match changing into a sewing needle, and try it."

Neville took nine passes, and sweat was beading on his forehead. And, the result of his effort was good. The match was now a needle, though it was slightly square-sided and the point was rather dull.

"Neville, even not being in class, I can honestly say that the only student who did any better was Hermione Granger. I doubt if anyone else did remotely as well.

"Now, Harry? Did you feel my magic move through the bond?"

I felt Harry nod in reply.

"Ok, Harry. Your turn! Transfigure the matchstick into a needle."

Harry took seven passes, but wasn't winded. His needle was perfect.

"Not bad, Harry" I said. You have the advantage over Neville that you can tap into my memories and senses to help you learn magic more easily. You are also the type of learner who learns most easily by doing, once you have a basic understanding of what you're trying to do."

Neville asked, "Ron, how well did you do your _first_ time through?"

"Honestly, Neville? I stank big-time. In that lifetime, _only_ Hermione completed the Transfiguration. A few other students got the matchstick to _change,_ but _not_ into a needle.

"So, with a wand that actually somewhat chooses you, and with confidence and _intent,_ you have roughly equalled the smartest witch in our year! I've been doing transfiguration longer than you've been alive if you count the portions of both of my previous lifetimes where I was eleven or older. Harry, though our soul bond, now shares on at least a subconscious level, all of my power and experience. Your work is _all you_ and you have every right to be proud of it!"

-KNOCK KNOCK—

"Start of a corny joke…" Harry started.

"Neville, please check who is at the door?" I asked, not ready to explain Harry's joke with the person I expected waiting outside.

Before he could move, Professor McGonagall opened the door and let herself in. She saw the needles on the table and asked, "How easy was it?"

I replied, "Only Neville's answer counts, as I'm sure you can figure. I think I got the explanation right, but I'm not a Transfiguration Master."

The professor replied, "At first glance, you have two students, and two passable student-transfigured needles. This morning, I had eighteen students, and one needle for the lot. That needle was only slightly better than Mr. Longbottom's. Neville, please take another matchstick from the box and transfigure it for me?"

As Neville selected his matchstick, I reminded him, "You _can_ do this! You are a wizard, and you've already done it once. Just remember: _Relax. Focus, Imagine, Intent_."

Neville set his matchstick on the table. Seven passes and more sweat later, he had a needle just as good as mine.

"Excellent, Mr. Longbottom! Five points to Gryffindor for a wonderful Transfiguration while under pressure.

"Mr. Potter, your test will need to be a little bit different." Professor McGonagall stated, as she set a fresh matchstick on the table.

She suddenly did a complete one-hundred-eighty degree change in demeanour.

"MR. POTTER! YOU WILL TRANSFIGURE THAT MATCHSTICK INTO A NEEDLE BEFORE I COUNT TO ZERO! FIVE, FOUR, THREE," _Fwwp!_

The fresh matchstick was now a perfect needle. The rest of the box of matchsticks was now perfect needles. The coffee table was now made of mirror-polished stainless steel with wicked-sharp spikes for legs. Each spike had a pinkie finger sized slot in it just below where it joined with the top. Harry was trembling like a leaf in my arms and quietly sobbing. Fortunately, the knock that then sounded at the door was immediately followed by the entry of Professor Dumbledore.

In a way unique to a professor who has spent over seventy years in education, Dumbledore sized the situation up in an instant. "Professor McGonagall, please see to your student. I'll see to reversing this Transfiguration." He set his effort to examining the table and needles, both with his senses and spell-work.

Professor McGonagall knelt down so she was at Harry's and my level sitting on the sofa. She quietly and gently said, "I am so sorry, _Harry._ As strong and upbeat as you are, it is unfortunately too easy to forget that you were treated so poorly before coming here. I normally use the method I did with you to startle a student into doing his or her own work, to prove the work done was theirs, even under stress. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I won't try that way of teaching or testing you ever again. Would you please be willing to forgive me?"

He raised his head off of his chest, looked her in the eye, and nodded once. He gave her a half-whispered sob. "Yes, Professor McGonagall." He then laid his head back on his chest and was immediately in a sound if slightly troubled sleep.

Professor Dumbledore spoke quietly now, so as not to wake Harry after what was obviously a rather unexpected emotional trauma. "Professor McGonagall, were there any needles transfigured when you entered this room?"

"There were three, Professor Dumbledore. Mr. Weasley's was in the centre of the table, and appeared nearly perfect. Mr. Potter's needle was closest to the sofa, and was of the same quality as Mr. Weasley's. Mr. Longbottom's needle was closest to his chair. It was of outstanding quality for an actual first-year student. Hermione Granger's needle this morning was only slightly better.

"I had Mr. Longbottom transfigure another matchstick in my presence. He was nervous since I was standing over him. His second needle easily surpassed Miss Grangers, and was of nearly the same character as that of Mr. Weasley's or Mr. Potter's.

"I had tried to have Mr. Potter 'startle-cast' his second Transfiguration, to see if he could cast under stress, and also see if I could tell how much of Mr. Potter's work was natively his. There is no teaching manual for combining soul-bond relationships with disparate experience levels that include time and dimensional travel. Unfortunately, I forgot to factor in that Mr. Potter came from a very harsh home life, and is also in the middle of a major life-altering event. This leads us to what he produced. How durable a Transfiguration is it?"

Dumbledore answered her, "Professor McGonagall, it is not a Transfiguration at all, but a _Transmutation_ , full, correct, and complete. While the detail of the form and material composition of the table was changed, its basic shape and functionality was not. All the needles produced had their form changed from that of a matchstick to that of a needle, but they are also transmuted.

He added in explanation to Neville and me, "Transmutation is the true and actual purpose of Alchemy, not brewing potions or seeking a Philosopher's Stone. Transmutation involves permanently and absolutely changing something into something else, the only restrictions being that creating an actual living subject is dangerous, and attempting to create a living human with Alchemy is a self-enforcing taboo and prohibition. With Alchemy, unlike Transfiguration, you _can_ make some edible foodstuffs from non-edible biological materials.

"Alchemy typically relies on a Transmutation Matrix, or more commonly called a 'Circle' since most are in fact round. Harry's Transmutation does not appear to have used a circle. However, I have quietly checked Harry while checking his work, and I can happily say that this Transmutation is purely accidental.

"I say 'happily,' because almost all alchemists who can transmute without a circle have attempted to create a living human being using alchemy. This is not only Dark Alchemy, but it actually removes pieces of the alchemist's body in such a manner that they cannot be replaced by _any_ means. Oftentimes, this reaction is fatal to the alchemist. Those who survive can perform any non-Dark transmutation without a matrix

"The other group of alchemists who can transmute without a matrix are those who have lived and practiced alchemy for many, many decades. I am a journeyman alchemist. I can only perform two or three transmutations without a matrix. Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel can produce a fair number more than I, but they still find their limits fairly quickly, and in turn write the needed matrices."

Professor Dumbledore decided to set the room to rights, as it were. "Tansy" he called.

A house-elf appeared and replied, "Master Headmaster called for Tansy?"

"Yes, Tansy. This table along with the sewing needles on it are now the property of Mr. Harry Potter. I want you to put them in storage where they may be quickly reclaimed. If Mr. Potter does not want to keep the table himself, the school will sell it on his behalf at a Muggle Modern Art Museum, where it should bring a rather attractive price.

"I also need you to bring a replacement coffee table of the correct style and size for this room."

The house-elf answered, "Tansy will do this right now, Master Headmaster." With two snaps of his fingers, 'Harry's' coffee table was gone, and a replacement wooden coffee table identical to the one that Harry had Transmuted was in its place.

Professor Dumbledore turned to me and said, "Ron, I talked to your mother earlier today. Despite my telling her about the current situation, and that it was not a good idea to do so, she insisted on visiting the castle today at eight o'clock this evening, or just under one hour from now.

§§§

I did not think that "having Mum over for a visit" was a particularly good idea. Neither did Professor Dumbledore. But Mum thought that it _was_ a good idea. So, short of barring her entry to the castle, which was a Very Bad Idea, Mum was coming over.

First things first, time to wake Harry. Between the emotional strain, and the "snap transmutation," I figured he could use a few minutes. I wasn't able to reliably gauge his magical reserves yet, but I could tell that when he threw power around, he _threw it around,_ so he would have to learn to pace himself.

He was also going through an emotional roller coaster that was at least the equal of the one I was living beside him, with only eleven years of total life experience to fall back on. And his life experience consisted mainly of being the victim of emotional and at least some physical abuse.

Harry came around readily enough. I asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like garbage. I think I listened in while I was asleep. Is your Mum coming over in just a little bit?"

"Yeah, at eight o'clock."

"How bad is she going to lose it?" he asked.

"I don't know. Hopefully not bad if at all.

"Professor Dumbledore, what time did you talk to my Mum?" I asked.

"I talked to her at four o'clock this afternoon."

"Harry, she's had four hours to calm down. Besides, it's not like either one of us is going to come home pregnant."

"What does _that_ have to do with _anything?_ "

"Harry, kids conceiving and raising kids is generally a Very Bad Idea. Most parents want the best for their kids, and so they try to stop Very Bad Ideas from happening. This is often a Very Good Idea. But, with a bond like ours, all the rules change, or at least have to be used much differently than normal.

"For us, the idea will actually be to keep our relationship a secret for as long as possible. Not because I'm not proud to be with you, or you with me, but because male-to-male relationships are frowned upon in general, and eleven-year-olds having a continuing relationship like that even more so.

"Of course, she might still be upset since we are both eleven, and you _certainly_ are. Most people that are older than eleven think that eleven-year-olds entering into a sexual relationship is also a Very Bad Idea. But in our case, that is one of the choices that the bond _did_ take away from us.

"Mums want to see their kids do well, and not poorly. Since we need to do well _together_ in order to do well, she'll come around eventually."

I decided to "handle" the other eleven-year-old in the room, while I, and he for that matter, might still influence the decision. "Neville, will you be willing to stay for this? Mum might have some questions that you may be able to answer better than us, since you have some experience with soul bonds, and are also Harry's and my age."

"Harry's age, certainly. Harry? I can stay if you want. You guys are going to need me until at least tomorrow afternoon anyway, and if Ron's Mum gets you guys upset, I'll be helping you anyhow, and hear about whatever happens eventually?"

"Thanks, Neville!" Harry answered. Can we have your house-elf set up a tea and coffee service? I've got maybe twenty-five minutes, desperately need a cup to wake up for Mrs. Weasley, and I need to visit the loo and wash up afterwards?"

"Light brown, two lumps?" Neville asked as Harry and I stood up.

"Yes, please and thank you Neville!"

"Ron, does your mum take milk or lemon with her tea?"

"I don't know if she takes either. I guess Mipsy will have both available, since she's good at that kind of stuff?" Harry and I went to the loo and took care of necessities.

We got out at ten minutes to eight, and sat upright on the sofa. I had my legs spread about as wide as I could get them, with Harry sitting between. Harry and I were still "sharing" the four-armed bathrobe, with Harry snuggling his back into my body as much as he could without pressing on my bits.

We were each drinking coffee; Harry to wake up, and me to calm down. Part of me wished for something stronger, but the smarter part agreed that my not yet used to alcohol body would get blitzed on one shot of Firewhisky, and it was bad enough meeting Mum with my new male lover (?!), as well as being basically starkers with him in my arms sharing the same robe without being drunk as well.

At the top of the hour, Professor McGonagall escorted Mum, and surprisingly Dad into the room. Both of them looked rather ill at ease. Mum, while composed right now, appeared to have been crying. Dad was rather tough to read. But then again, _I_ would have been rather tough to read if _I_ had been called to the school because Hugo had found a life-long live-in male lover on the train as a first-year, too.

Before either Harry or I had realized, Mum had moved the coffee table away from the sofa, knelt down in front of us, and grabbed both of us into a hug! She kissed each of on the cheek, and held us (mostly Harry since I was behind him) to her chest. She spread our upper halves out just enough extra so she had one head on each shoulder.

I cried silently as I held both Harry and her. I could feel in my magic that she had _not_ completely accepted things as they were, as indeed on some level they now _had to be._ But she set that aside to comfort her two youngest sons. I could feel that she had _already_ accepted him into the family.

Harry, however, broke down completely. He cried and sobbed as if he were a three-year-old, constantly repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" as he did. He did this for about ten minutes before he cried himself out and fell into a deep slumber. Mum released us, dried both of our faces with a handkerchief, and put Harry's glasses on the coffee table. She then crossed over to the love seat, and sat down next to Dad, putting the coffee table back as she did so.

Mum asked, "Ron, who is your classmate, and how much does he know?

"Mum, this is Neville Longbottom, the Longbottom Heir. He is Harry's chief political ally, is now Harry's closest non-lover friend, and is also knowledgeable about soul bonds. Since his parents were soul-bonded, he has instinctive knowledge on recognizing and evaluating them. He has also studied the material his family library had about them as a way of connecting with his parents. He probably knows as much or more than you, since I don't know what Professor Dumbledore has told you. Neville, these are my parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley."

Neville crossed the room and shook Dad and Mum's hand in turn, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you, though I wish it were under less stressful conditions."

Mum asked, "Does he know about the other issue you told the Headmaster about?"

"Yes, Mum. He was present for every word I spoke to Professor Dumbledore.

"While part of me wanted to tell you about my 'travels,' that knowledge is _dangerous_ to even know _about._ Had I not soul-bonded with Harry, which never happened before, by the way, I would have taken the knowledge of my travels to the _grave,_ though I would have acted on that knowledge to do what was right as best I understood that.

"Before I go on, I'll answer the question you _haven't_ asked yet. Both moves were against my will, and both times I 'moved' had me 'land' more or less at the point I was conceived. I was the only 'Ronald Bilius Weasley' in this world, so I was always _your_ Ron even if I had two lifetimes before that.

"My first lifetime was more or less 'typical,' other than helping Harry Potter defeat Voldemort. I remember the second lifetime and this one from the point where I grew enough brain cells to actually think with _on._ That's two passes at 'in the womb,' 'sailing the birth canal,' _everything._

"My second lifetime was fairly different from the first. You were so fixated on having a girl that you weren't nearly so affectionate with your sons, particularly me. 'Harry Potter' was also a girl, and no, I didn't have a relationship with her. _She_ had a _girlfriend_ who hated my guts, and devoutly wished to see me dead.

"The knowledge I gained in fifty-six years of my first life was different enough to almost be dangerous, apart from my training as a Field Auror and Battle Mage. Because of the 'girlfriend' thing, I wasn't able to help Girl-Harry like I wanted, but we _did_ defeat Voldemort that time as well, so in the end it was almost all good. Girl-Harry Potter's psycho girl lover deliberately threw me into an unstable time-vortex when I was twenty-five, and I came here.

"I _was_ able to save Pandora in my second lifetime, but not the first. In that lifetime, Luna was 'shattered,' and while was still alive and living a good and fulfilling life when I left my first lifetime, she never _did_ get over it. Pandora died in my first lifetime, with Luna watching helplessly as her mother's body was consumed before her very eyes. I'm not so sure _anyone_ could get over that.

"I guess that all of that together is part of why I'm the 'me' you raised. I studied as hard as I could _most_ of the time because I _knew_ that the best time to learn would be when the physical side of my mind was flexible enough to learn easily. I _am_ still a kid, so I had to play once in a while.

"That's also why I insisted on learning as much as I could about the Voldemort and Grindelwald wars, so I wouldn't be 'surprised' in this lifetime like I was in the last.

"It's also why I trained myself as an Auror, and also how I _knew how_ to do so.

"It's why I insisted on earning money outside of the house, and half of why I insisted on getting the job with Master Garrick. During my first lifetime, I just did chores around the house and got jealous of other kids whose parents could give them more pocket money than the two of you gave me. The second lifetime, I was too busy training and learning, along with being Luna's friend so I had a chance at saving Pandora to care.

" _This_ time, I wanted to earn money that was _mine first,_ and was only yours at all because you were my parents and were making sure I didn't blow it. In my first lifetime, and my first time at Hogwarts as Harry's friend, I was at times jealous of his wealth and fame. Sometimes, this hurt him _badly,_ though he _always_ forgave me.

"By working and _earning_ my own money, I believed that it would help me _not be jealous of money._ I had already long-since lost any jealousy of fame. I believed that by not being jealous of what _Harry_ had, and by appreciating what _I_ had, that I might be as good of a friend to Harry as he truly _deserved,_ as he had been to _me,_ and that I might share _my_ wealth, _my family, love, and affection,_ with him.

"The other half is exactly like I told you when I asked Master Garrick and you to let me work for him. I was, and am really interested in Wand Lore, to the point of learning how to make them. I was a Field Auror and Battle Mage at heart and not a wand-crafter then, but knowing how magical foci work in those lines of work can make the difference between coming home at the end of your shift, and not. I am now a wand-crafter as well as a warrior, and I believe that I am happier for it.

"It's also how and why I was able to force Pettigrew out of his rat form and banish his sleeve wandlessly. I _knew_ Pettigrew was up to no good, whatever he was actually up to, and he had no place in our home.

"I learned enough wandless magic in my first two lifetimes, and it all carried over to the point where I could use it, so I just 'did it' as if everything was more or less normal and let it 'hide in plain sight.'

"Having Grandfather Septimus' wand reject Charlie was truly an accident. In my first lifetime, it was my _only_ wand until second year, where it was broken in an accident. In my second lifetime, I ended up getting a different wand completely from either that I carry now, and never used the old one.

"This time around, I wanted it to still be in decent shape when I got instead of being beat to hell. Since I learned how to recondition wands from Master Garrick himself, since Charlie _never_ paid attention to where his wand was, and since it was the 'best fit' on any of the wands in the house, I didn't see any problems. At least not until it did the wand equivalent of running away from an abusive home-life. And besides, only _that_ wand 'turned.' All the rest just 'soaked up the attention' and magically stayed put.

"In my first lifetime, I was Harry's closest male friend. We did _not_ do _anything_ like what this Harry and I have, either with each other or with anyone else, _ever_. I was a good friend in that lifetime, but there _were_ times when I let _that_ Harry down, and _badly._ Even though I came through when I really need to, and even though _that_ Harry had long since forgiven me and 'called the books either even or in my favour,' I _couldn't_ leave it be. I resolved ' _never again, ever.'_

"In my second lifetime, the whole 'psycho girlfriend' thing prevented me from helping 'girl Harry' very much, even though I think that 'girl Harry' not only wanted to be my friend, but also wanted to at least try _dating_ me. I ended up marrying someone else, in no small part because of the psycho girlfriend, and also because the Sorting Hat deliberately put me in _Slytherin_ for my _personal safety!_

"Once I learned that Harry was a boy this time, and was reasonably certain that there was no 'psycho lover' in the wings, I thought things would be easy. I got the Auror Holster for Harry, because I knew he would need it. I kept the cooking skills I learned in my second lifetime sharp, and packed the basket of food, hoping that this time I would share it with my closest friend. I even suggested the second plate of sashimi so that Harry and I could have a treat along with Pandora's favourite Kneazle, since I knew both 'first Harry' and I loved it.

Harry, who had been dozing less and less deeply as our talk went on, decided to take over for me. "Welcome to my life, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I'm sorry…"

"Nonsense, son" Dad answered. "And it's either 'Arthur and Molly' or 'Dad and Mum.' Molly and I are upset right now, but at _life,_ _not you and not Ron._ While we are _really_ uncomfortable with the idea of two eleven year old boys having the type of relationship you have now, we know that it is now a part of _both of you._ We'll have our 'issues' sorted quick as we can so we can help the _both of you,_ Harry. For what it's worth, your… _lover_ … is a far better person now than the boy or man or whatever my son is that I saw off from my home Sunday morning. I had an emergency call about a biting wok in Wokking, and wasn't able to see them off at King's Cross.

Harry answered, "Ok… Arthur?" Dad nodded at Harry, who had just put on his glasses after I wandlessly summoned them and handed to him. Harry pressed on.

"I wasn't looking for a soul bond, or a lover, or anything other than a train at Kings Cross. While it wasn't at the front of my mind then, I had already decided that if I missed the train, that I would send my post-owl Hedwig with a note to the school so she wouldn't get hurt. Then, I was going to leave the rest of the junk where it sat, go a mile or so down the tracks, and _catch a train, before the driver could catch his brakes._ I have a fair tolerance for pain, and I knew that at least I would see Mum and Dad again in the afterworld, and that unlike what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon told me, they wouldn't be drunk!"

Quicker than I can describe it, though somehow without being in any way startling or frightening, Molly was right there in front of us. She gently cupped Harry's face in her hands, and kissed him on the forehead. She said, with emotion choking her voice, "You are my eighth living child, Harry. Please tell us how the rest of that day went for you; it will help you feel better. But Ron and I would never have forgiven ourselves if you had caught that _other train._ I'm sure your first Mum and Dad loved you, and are in _no hurry_ to have you join them."

My voice was gone, I could only rest my head on his shoulder and whisper in his ear, "Please don't leave me" as my tears streamed down my cheeks and onto his shoulder and neck.

Mum sat back down as I gave Harry a quick squeeze, letting him know that I would always be there for him. He swallowed, found his voice, and spoke again.

"It was 10:44 and 44 seconds when I heard Molly's voice and saw Ron. It was as if everything else went grey and out-of-focus, with only Ron being clear and in colour.

"I wasn't exactly looking for a lover. While I thought about trying 'that kind' of stuff with a friend to see what it was like, I had _no friends at all_ thanks to the Dursleys, and while Dudley could wank with his friend behind some bushes in the park, I had no friend, and couldn't imagine doing something like that alone. I didn't know what it felt like, so I thought it was just 'truth-or-dare' stuff, which is really lame to play by yourself. Believe me, I _tried,_ though nothing to do with stuff like _that._

"But I hoped and prayed to whomever or whatever that I had found a friend, and I quickly discovered that I _had._ He waved _me_ over to _him – me!_ "

"I was scared to tell him my name at first, with all the 'Boy Who Lived' junk. I was relieved, really, when he seemed to forget that you introduce yourself first most of the time. He just told me that he needed a friend just as badly as I did, and that he was going to help me get on the train.

"Ron had me look at the barrier just in time to see the last of the Twins run through it, and gave me the confidence to chase _him_ through the barrier as well, assuring me that his Mum and little sister would help me if I went 'spat.'

"I made it through, and Ron slowed down so we were together again. And I couldn't begin to take in all the wondrous sights! No nosy noisy crowds, no idiots praising me for being orphaned and dumped in hell, just _magic,_ and it was _magical._

"Just as I started to worry about having to share a compartment with strangers instead of my new friend, Ron suggested that we go to the rear of the train so we can share a compartment! I was so astonished and happy that I could only nod and blush at him as we walked toward the rear of the train.

"He loaded Hedwig first, making sure that I introduced him to her, and he said that she and her name were pretty! His Kneazle miao'ed at me happily, too. I was confused how you got a cat into a cage with no door, but I figured it was magic somehow.

"After we got all of our stuff on the train, we sat down to catch our breaths, since our trunks weren't light. He then asked me my name. I tried not to show my fear and embarrassment as I answered him, "Harry Potter" and shook his hand. I got jolted by a spark of _something,_ and waited to have my life to go to hell again.

"At first, things were starting to look pear-shaped. He asked, 'Do you have, you know…' I got starkers for Ron later, though we did it at the same time. I was more scared and embarrassed at lifting my fringe than I was dropping my boxers to my ankles with my hard penis pointing directly at his face! I lifted my fringe anyway, expecting the axe to fall.

"But it never did! Instead of gushing 'oh, the scar!' like the magicals do, or saying I was ugly like the kids at primary did, he just said that it was 'cool,' and left it be! I was so _relieved,_ and so _happy_ that I could have kissed him! Of course, I didn't think Ron _wanted_ to be kissed by me then, and he probably _didn't, then,_ so I let it be.

"He then asked to take me off the train, and say goodbye to his Mum and little sister – and he even offered not to say my last name when he introduced us! Of course, Molly was smarter than that, but she hugged and kissed me just like one of her own. She even got Ginny to treat me like a real boy, instead of a comic-book hero! By the way, Molly, how mad was Ginny?"

Mum answered, "Not mad at all, Harry. She actually thanked me for making her not embarrass you, and also get her not to embarrass herself as well. She had a crush on 'The Boy Who Lived' for years, since someone made a series of fanciful and unfortunately untrue children's books about you. She now has a crush on _you._ Too bad, honestly…"

Harry said, "Molly? I know it's way too early, and we're way too young, but Ron told me that when we're actually grown-up, if our soul-bond-thing will let us, that I am going to have to try to marry a woman and father children with her. I don't know if it's even possible.

"But Ron also said that his 'first Harry' and his 'first Ginny' got married at twenty-one and twenty, were very happy together, and had three kids! She'll never be 'Mrs. Boy Who Lived.' But if she can be happy being married to 'just Harry' and handle being 'just Harry's sister in law' at the same time once we're all grown up, it will be easier than trying it with a stranger. I'll be respectful with her no matter what. She seemed like a nice person who would be a good friend when we met, anyway, and I'll be happy to be in her life however she'll have me."

The phrase "you could have heard a pin drop" fits nicely here, because it was absolutely true. Dad and Mum were both stunned speechless, but amazingly enough were _not_ disapproving. Somehow, they must have felt or sensed what I did. Harry wasn't trying to suggest anything weird or perverted. He was simply saying that if he had to do something he wouldn't like, that he'd like to do it with someone he _did_ like, but only if _she_ wanted to, and not anytime remotely approaching 'soon.'

Harry noticed none of this, of course, or very little of it. He had taken his glasses off right after Mum had cupped his face in her hands, and left them off. From what I could tell with my chin over his shoulder, he hadn't opened his eyes since. He spoke again.

"Back to the train ride. You guys said to talk so I'd feel better, right?" With the moment of silent assent, he swallowed, and continued his tale.

"The train took off, and the 'scar' was 'my little secret,' along with my new best-friend's. As the train sped up, he explained how his Mum helped lost Muggle-borns and those who were Muggle-raised this year get on the train when they couldn't find the platform. He also told me that _I_ was his friend, not the Scar or the fame's, and he told me about his family. I finally made a friend!

"My new friend was also kind of _scary_ at first. While he didn't even try to pretend he knew me, unlike all the people ogling my scar, he knew more about my _history_ than I could possibly imagine! But he also wanted to know about me, for _me,_ not just because he dumped some filthy creep in prison two weeks after Mum and Dad were killed with the creep's help. He even told me lots about it, including the blood wards, my godfather, Remus Lupin, and all of that.

"By the way, when I meet my godfather, I want to meet Mr. Lupin too, if he still wants to have anything to do with me. Ron says that he is a 'good Werewolf,' not like Fenrir Greyback, so it's just like a very serious illness that's only contagious once a month. I don't bully or shun sick people, and I understand Professor Dumbledore blocking all Werewolves as well as Death Eaters with the blood wards, so I don't blame Mr. Lupin.

"Anyway, Ron was also throwing wandless magic about left, right, and centre like it grew on trees, and all without saying a word! But he told me that his circumstances were different form most guys, and that I'd do fine when we got to school. He even offered to teach _me_ some of what he knew and help me study!

"I got things just a little out-of-order. He told me about being stuck behind the blood wards during at least part of the summer last, and I lost it completely!

"At first, I cried because I was guaranteed at least one month of Hell _every year,_ if not _three months,_ until I left school! After a moment, I was about to cry even harder, because I was _sure_ Ron would ditch me for being a crybaby.

"But he _hugged me!_ And he _let me hug him back!_ As far back as I can remember, though I'm sure Mum and Dad treated me right, I was never touched except by a nurse at school giving us our shots, or by the Dursleys to give me pain. While I got a small public 'taster' from Molly, I now had the real-deal. Touching and hugging felt nice! It _didn't hurt!_ I was still bawling my eyes out quietly, but I was now happy as well as sad.

"Quicker than I can say it, my face was dry, there were six inches between Ron and me, and I felt a happiness that I _knew_ wasn't mine – and the trolley lady was standing in the door selling snacks off of the cart. I figured out that Ron cleaned me up, hit me with something that would keep me from embarrassing myself in front of the trolley lady, and he did it all for _me!_

"I looked at the cart, which was chock-full of only wizarding treats. I guessed that either she had started from the front of the train, or that she had more than one cart. So, I told her, "I'll take the lot! I wanted to share the _entire cart_ with Ron, since he had shared so much with me already, and it wasn't even noon!

"Fortunately, Ron knew better, and so did the trolley lady, though I'm pretty sure that I _did_ have the money to buy her out completely. But, two of everything, plus an extra dozen Chocolate Frogs, and we were good. Ron insisted that we eat the food in his picnic basket first, which was a good idea, since I wasn't allowed to eat the breakfast I cooked that morning, and he had eaten his real early. He sat the basket between us longways, and I looked inside, while he and his Kneazle (who I thought was a cat until we were introduced) argued and cleared the candy-strewn bench into a bench with a neat tall stack of candy and plenty of room for a hungry Kneazle.

"I looked in the basket and found a boxed tube of a jelly I'd never heard of before. What was a K-Y? Was it some strange magical treat like Pumpkin Juice? Was it like marmalade for breakfast or mint jelly for lamb? I read the small print, and it hit me – Ron liked _boys!_ He might _like me!_ As much as it might scare you guys or make you sad, I only had to think about this for a second.

"When I had the chance, I'd become Ron's friend _that way, too!_ But I wasn't going to have him use _cold_ stuff to get it into my bum! I swiped it from the basket and started trying to think of an excuse for him to get us naked.

"He gave me the excuse right away with that raw tuna stuff?"

I interjected at his prompt, "Tuna sashimi, Harry. Pandora packed the sashimi, and had to have packed the personal lubricant as well. _Mum_ didn't. The sashimi I knew about, the 'jelly' was a surprise for me. When I saw you hide it under the serviette, I didn't make out the package and thought it was wasabi."

"Good thing it _wasn't_ wasabi, _right?_ " he retorted.

He continued the tale. "Anyway, I had 'our excuse.' Ron ate half of the small dab of wasabi on the plate of tuna sashimi that was for us to share, and asked me to try it. I made it into a 'dare game,' told him that the next dare was mine, and ate a piece of the tuna before he could say anything different.

"I made sure I wasn't facing him before I actually put it in my mouth so that if I spit out like I thought I would, that at least I wouldn't hit him with it. But, it was _great!_ The wasabi was like overpowered horseradish, just like Ron told me. But I _like_ horseradish, and the tuna was _fabulous._

"Ron insisted that we eat before doing any dares, or any _more_ as I counted them, while he gave Lucky Boy his tuna, had us finish eating ours together, and drank the Pumpkin Juice Ron packed. We ate the sandwiches and the potato salad too, leaving only dirty plates, full bellies, two more bottles of Pumpkin Juice, and a bottle and a half of water.

"While he ate, Ron told me all about the houses. We ended up making a magic promise to both try for Gryffindor, but that he would try to get sorted into my house no matter _what_ it was, and that we would remain friends no matter what. The magic promise part was an accident for both of us, but we both meant it, so it didn't matter.

"While I listened closely as Ron told me about the sorting hat, I quietly snuck off my trainers and socks. I was excited that I would actually _do_ something, and it wouldn't just be pulling my stuff down and wanking!

"Ron had just finished telling me about the sorting hat when I showed him my feet and wiggled my toes for him. I was in the middle of telling him that we were going to get starkers for the 'first part' of our dare, when there was a knock at the door.

"It was Hermione Granger, and she had Neville Longbottom with her. She's in our house and year, and she's nice. But, she's also _bossy,_ as in 'acts like a grown-up' bossy. And, she's _nosy,_ too!

"She barged right in, dragging Neville behind her, and noticed that I was barefoot even though I'd slid my feet back under the seat. She told us later, but anyway.

"She and Neville were looking for his pet toad Trevor. By the way, Neville, where and how is Trevor?"

Neville answered, "He's in my room. Mipsy has brought me food for him, plus a tank for him from home."

"Good, Neville. As I was saying, Hermione brought Neville along because Trevor went on walkabout, and Neville was afraid he wouldn't find him without help.

"She was also looking for the 'Boy Who Lived," and I was hoping like anything that she did _not_ find him.

"Ron stopped her in mid-rant! He told her, 'First, my friend Stubby Boardman and I haven't left the compartment since we left London, and we got here at the last minute!' He then told Hermione and Neville how to find Trevor with a 'point-me' charm, saw that Neville's confidence was pounded down almost as bad as mine because he had a wand that hated him, let Neville try his second wand which _does_ like him a bit, and taught Neville his first magic spell in less time then it took me to tell you about it.

"He also told both Neville and me about how my Mum and Dad were his godparents, how his Mum was my godmother, and told us about how we were probably playmates as toddlers! He also told us about how our families were political allies for like ever! And he did all that _without_ making Neville sad about his parents, or making it sound like I was not actually Stubby Boardman!

"Neville got it! And, he let me keep playing 'Stubby Boardman' and still told me I was his friend if I wanted to be. I had _two_ friends now, and one of them was a friend that I was getting _back!_ I _never_ got anything _back_ before!

"I grinned at him in pure happiness and nodded to him Between having Ron prove to him that he was really a good wizard instead of just better than a Squib like he thought, and making friends with me again under Hermione's nose, I swear he grew four inches taller right in front of me!.

"I also messed up, and wiped my forehead, allowing Hermione to get a glimpse of my scar. And, while I could sense that she wasn't actually _trying_ to be mean, she didn't get that I was trying to not be gawped at like an animal at the zoo, and she shouted out my name.

"That brought in _Draco Malfoy._ He's a Slytherin in our year. I had already met him at Madame Malkin's the day Hagrid took me around to get my school things. He insulted Hagrid, who I consider a grown-up friend, and basically said that my Mum had it coming to her for not being a pureblood.

"Malfoy barged into the compartment like he owned the place, and was just about to spout off more of his pure-blood-bigot garbage. Key word here is 'was.' I was having none of it. I wanted the compartment _empty_ except for me and Ron, and I started with Malfoy. I punted him square in the chest and sent him flying back into the hallway. He decided that whatever he wanted, he wasn't going to get it free, so he left.

"I convinced Hermione and Neville to leave, after Ron showed Hermione the 'point-me' spell so they could find Trevor, since he wasn't going to loan Neville his second wand to keep with him.

"They left, and Ron locked and charmed the door and wall so _no one_ was going to barge in or snoop on us.

"I finished telling him the first part of our dare. He kind of hesitated, but took off his shoes and socks. I told him to take off his shirts next, and got naked myself Like I said, I was nervous, especially about my feet, since they started growing this summer to the point that I had to find a pair of trainers in the garbage since Dudley's cast-offs were now too short. But Ron's feet were almost the same size as mine, and I could tell by the look in his eyes, that he was happy seeing me naked and being seen naked just like I was with him! _I was so happy!_

"I stood with my hands on the top of my head, spun around slowly so he could see all of me, than faced my bum towards him, bent over, and spread my cheeks for him so he could see my anus. I asked him to do the same for him and he did it without hesitating. I asked if I could touch him, and he told me 'not yet.'

"We sat down with our legs slightly open so we weren't 'hiding' from each other. I asked him if he was into boys too since I was _definitely_ into Ron! He answered that his body was into me, but his mind hadn't caught up yet.

"I didn't know what to think. He had a tube of K-Y jelly in his hamper, but he wasn't sure he was into boys? I started to think that he was taking the Mickey, and asked him if he was.

"That's when he told me about the time and dimension travel stuff. He also told me that he would do _anything_ I wanted, _whatever_ I wanted, from getting dressed to going 'all the way,' but begged me to remain his friend, and told me from his heart that _he loved me!_

"I decided that I would take him up on his offer, at least until we were doing something he truly _hated,_ though I _still_ wasn't completely sure why he would pack something so obviously 'sex-only' as K-Y Jelly if he really _didn't_ like boys.

"I told him that I wasn't sure about going _all_ the way, but offered something closer to that than wanking.

"He said that that was fine, since while he knew a charm that worked like personal lube, he wasn't that good at it.

"I pulled the serviette off of the tube of K-Y Jelly, and he went white as a sheet. He later told me that he was feeling my feelings as well as his all morning, and didn't know what they were at first. He said that the K-Y must have come from Pandora Lovegood, and since she was some kind of a seer, that it was a soul bond and that we were _supposed_ to go through with it. My world was spinning and flipping so fast that I didn't know _what_ I was feeling, only that I wanted Ron more and more by the minute.

"He told me that it was a soul bond, and what he knew about them. He thought we might still be able to break it, or at least slow it down. He offered to do whatever it took, but he insisted and _would not budge,_ that only _I_ would make that decision.

"Since he told me that part of what a soul bond did was to change things in your head, and had also told me that he had done more with me in that last few minutes than he had done with _any_ guy in _three_ lifetimes, I looked him in the eye and asked how much of what he said was really _him,_ and how much was the _bond._

"He looked me in the eye, and told me that the only thing the bond had changed in him was that he would actually feel good _himself_ from the sex instead of going along only to make _me_ feel good.

"I told him that I had decided, but hadn't yet. I could see it in his beautiful eyes, and feel it in his heart as well as mine. At my word, he would march off into eternity just to prove his love for me. I would let him prove it to me – for the rest of our lives together, not by his leaving me to bear his sorrow away from me.

"I told him that I wanted and needed the bond, and him. I claimed his body and gave him mine in return…

"As many details as I've shared, I _won't_ share the details of those next precious hours. If you can remember a cross between your actual first time _doing it_ with someone you truly loved, and set a mark between that and your wildest fantasy you ever had about doing _that_ before you had actually _done it,_ then that's more or less what Ron and I shared."

He paused in speaking for a moment. He rifled through the parts of my mind that held vocabulary and history, for some strange reason before he spoke again.

"We started by kissing, as almost all lovers do. We kissed, and we hugged. We talked each other and ourselves through how we wanted to share each other's bodies. We groaned in anticipation. We marvelled as we experienced the pleasures of each other's bodies. We did 'boy on boy' versions of what you've probably done. We did 'boy on boy' versions of stuff you may have _wished_ you have done, or vowed that you would _never_ do. We cried tears of pain and tears of joy. Our voices hitched as we each 'changed things up' on the other while he was talking. And we did all of this at a whisper so quiet that a hummingbird's wings would have drowned it out, though the sounds our bodies made would have surely been heard and unmistakable were it not for the spells Ron cast on the door and wall of the compartment. We loved. We shared. We _lived,_ to the tune of our own beating hearts and the sound of steel wheels on steel rails and the hum of ensorcelled ventilator fans in a first-class commuter railway carriage that was bought from the Muggles when Churchill was still a leading man instead of a fading memory."

As he paused for a moment to regain his composure, Mum asked, "Harry, who said the last part just now?"

Harry answered, "I did, though I hope Ron agrees, and that I got it right? I wasn't allowed to do well in primary. Ron's vocabulary is much better than mine, and he remembered from his first lifetime where the Hogwarts Express Railway Carriages came from, and when the Ministry bought them.

"I couldn't think of the words to describe how it _felt,_ or what it _meant._ And if I just said what we physically _did,_ you wouldn't really _get it._ It's also really embarrassing…

I added, while giving Harry a light hug of encouragement, "I _think_ Mum and Dad understand how you feel, and how _we_ feel. How about talking about after we finished with _that._ "

He sighed in resignation, and replied, "I _guess._ I _am_ feeling a little better talking about it."

He carried on with his view of our trip.

"After we did all that we did, Ron did the spell work and taught me as much as I could handle of it to take warm soapy showers and shampoo our hair, dry our bodies, get the entire compartment clean and dry. He helped me get dressed and even shared some paracetamol, since we are 'adult size' in front but not in back, and since it was the first time for both of us to be with another guy.

"He mentioned the potions he kept and offered me one if I wanted, but said he wouldn't use one no matter what since they were for emergencies. I followed Ron's example. The paracetamol took the 'edge' off, and beyond that I was _proud_ that Ron made me sore, and even _more proud_ that _Ron let me make him sore…"_

Harry started to cry with about fifty different emotions. Then it finally hit me. While I had lived two lifetimes already, and still had the memories and magical cores to go with them, they were both _in my past, and in other worlds._ I _wasn't_ eleven, and thirty-six, and ninety-two. And, while I might actually _be_ a Master Field Auror and Journeyman Wanded Battle Mage, that's because that was all knowledge and skill, and the day you _stop_ learning your craft either starts or ends with the nails driving home in the lid of your coffin. I might have had the experience of two previous lifetimes, but any and all old debts were done away with in those lifetimes, and did _not_ follow me to this one.

I was now Ronald Bilius Weasley. I was eleven years and six months old I had a soul-bonded male lover who was eleven years and one month old, who would move Heaven and Earth just to see me smile, just as I would for him. I had a libido that my body wasn't used to not exploring now that it had figured out it was there, just like Harry did. I was in a relationship that had that libido, and everything else sloshing around back and forth, driving me to distraction with Harry, just like he had with me. _We were the same._

As far as we could sense at the moment, we were alone together. We stood as one, shed our four-armed bathrobe, and faced each other. We embraced, and kissed passionately. This was not foreplay, though we were both rock-hard, and _always slightly horny._ We were each truly greeting and accepting each other for the first time, _as equals._

Between kisses, I said aloud, "Harry James Potter, my lover. I am Ronald Bilius Weasley. I am eleven years and six months old. I am your lover, as you would have me. If you desire, and if our bond allows, I will take a wife with your permission _only_ if she can truly accept that we will always be _us,_ and only because _you_ will need heirs of your own flesh. Otherwise, I am satisfied with you alone, and will be so for the rest of my life. Will you still have me?

He answered between kisses, "Ronald Bilius Weasley, my lover. I am Harry James Potter. I am eleven years and one month old. I am your lover, as you would have me. I grant your boon and accept yours in return. I ask you to accept my boon, should our bond allow, even if I do not accept yours. Beyond you, who has already passed the test for all time, I am a most particular lover, and will only take for a wife someone who loves the both of us, though you only as family and not otherwise, and will accept that we will always be _us_. Otherwise, I am yours _alone,_ and will be so for the rest of my life. I will still have you. Will you still have me?"

I answered him, "I will."

He answered likewise, "I will"

We felt a burst of magic. We also found that while we still craved each other's touch, we no longer had to be all wrapped around each other to avoid saying, 'Hello, PAIN.' We also both realized that while we could see each other just fine, everything else was 'whited out.'

Harry asked, "Do you know what I love about touching you right now, Ron?"

Not being sure where he was going, I answered, "No, Harry. What?"

He replied, "I can completely break contact without feeling like I'm being boiled in oil while being beaten with cricket bats, and touch you _again,_ again!"

"Me, too!" I replied.

Harry spoke again, this time formally as if we had an audience, and for all I knew, we probably still did.

"I, Harry James Potter, of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter, do claim the Lordship and Headship of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter from this moment forward. I demand of Magic the Delivery of the Ring of Office as my father wore, and as my Grandfather wore before him. As I am both Adult and Child, and since I freely admit that I have not the time, knowledge, or experience to attend all duties as are properly required for the good of my House, all proxies, managers, and guardians, including any of the Goblin Race, but explicitly excluding the Muggle Petunia Dursley shall with their consent and my gratitude remain in place unless and until I fairly evaluate their performance and justly find them lacking. I do solemnly charge Magic to deliver unto their hands their rightful Rings of Office, where their office has a Ring. So I demand on Magic with my Magic, so mote it be!"

With that, I saw the _flash_ of magic on Harry's left ring finger, as his Head of House Ring appeared upon it perfectly sized for both wear and removal. The gasps in the 'background' strongly suggested that Harry's was not the only ring to enter the room. Harry continued to speak formally.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley. You are my lover, my friend, and my life! Though my heart screams otherwise, my mind reliably tells me that should I publicly claim you as the spouse you are, or were either of us to keep each other openly as a 'mistress,' that it would bring shame to us that would be even more difficult to bear as eleven-year-olds than for adults.

"However, as the Head of a Most Ancient and Noble House, I may keep one or more Seneschals to manage the affairs of my House. And while being my 'mistress' would bring you shame, being always by my side, as my Seneschal would bring you honour, even if behind the scenes you would be the lover you will always be. We are both children, and if there is an incumbent Seneschal, they would remain in place as your public subordinate and private instructor and superior, since our circumstances require us at each other's sides far more urgently than my needs for the tracking of cattle, vassals, and shampoo bottles. Knowing this, would you be my Seneschal? Would you wear the Ring of this Office should it have a ring? Would you wear my badge on your clothing when you are wearing clothing where badges are worn?"

I answered, "You, Harry James Potter, are my lover, my friend, and my life as I am yours. I, Ronald Bilius Weasley accept your appointment as Seneschal as you have bid me do. I accept your Ring and Badge of Office as and where your Chief Seneschal wears them, at your bidding. I am your liege in public as I am your lover always. So mote it be!" I felt the magic on my left ring finger as my Ring of Office 'arrived.'"

Harry asked, "Ron, where are we?"

"I think we're still in the sitting room of the guest apartment."

"Is anyone else there?"

"No one has left" Neville replied.

"Ron, Is Lucky Boy here? If so, can he 'bring us around' like he did last night?"

Our answer was a quiet but happy 'miao' and the winding of a Kneazle against the outside of my right and Harry's left legs.

Our vision returned, and we were both grateful for the screen that wrapped around the sofa from wall to wall. We were standing on a bath towel to catch our "drippings," since while we weren't trying to actually _do_ anything, we were still both hammered with hormones, iron-hard, and were starting to "drip."

I decided to take over for a bit. "Thanks to whomever for the screen, by the way?"

Neville answered, "Mipsy and I both say, 'you're welcome,' as well as everyone else."

Taking a chance, I asked, "Neville, do you wear pyjamas, or night-shirts?"

"Nightshirts, why?"

"Do you have a couple that Harry and I can borrow? We can go without being naked and wrapped around each other, but we're still afraid to try for even pyjamas, much less regular clothes. Also, may we borrow a pair or two each of your clean 'y-fronts?' I noticed when we were figuring out who had which bedroom last night that you wore those based on what Mipsy had set out for you on your bed. Our boxers aren't quite big enough or absorbent enough for 'modesty.'"

Neville answered, "Sure. Mipsy will have to go home for them since I only packed enough for me, but it will take her less than a minute once I send her. You can return the nightshirts when you get your own. If you don't want to keep the y-fronts once you get your own, you can _burn_ them."

"Mipsy is knowing, Master Neville, and is back with his clothes to loan to Masters Harry and Ron. Mipsy will be helping Master Harry and Master Ron now." Mipsy was now behind the screen with a nightshirt and pair of y-fronts each for Harry and me.

Harry whispered, "Mipsy, can you make the fronts of the nightshirts moisture-proof from the inside to the outside on the fronts from belly-button to knee?"

She answered so only Harry and I could hear, "Mipsy has already done. Mipsy has also used flannel on Master Harry and Master Ron's legs. If Masters can use the flannel on their family parts so Mipsy can send it away and masters can get dressed?"

Harry and I cleaned ourselves, got dressed, and allowed Mipsy to vanish the towel. Harry and I hugged, and he whispered in my ear, "Don't blush _too_ hard, but if we have any petrol in the tanks once we finish with our guests, I can now _undress_ you! We both blushed scarlet, kissed, and recovered just as Mipsy vanished the privacy screen.

We were now sharing the room with Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore, Neville, Dad, Mum, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, the last two of whom were standing by the door.

I said, "I'm pretty sure I know who you two gentlemen are by the door. But could you introduce yourselves? Also, could you name whatever rings you are wearing?" And could someone have whatever house-elf is responsible bring two more chairs, along with Butterbeers for Neville, Harry, and me and a service of something stronger for the adults?"

Looking at my watch, I added, "It's almost nine-thirty, and after Harry's tale, we could all use _something._ If your circumstances allow, we should also continue our talk for a while longer, even though we will surely have enough to need to meet earlier tomorrow evening to finish up?"

Professor Dumbledore replied, "As I speak, it will be done by the Hogwarts Elves. They will also bring a full decanter of my Armagnac, along with a decanter of Firewhisky and crystal service for both."

Biscuits, cheeses, and the liquors, along with a bottle of Butterbeer each for Neville, Harry, and Me, joined the coffee and tea service on the table.

Dumbledore added, "Unless you have already partaken at some other point in life and found that Armagnac does not agree with you, I would encourage you to try a snifter if you are adults. Neville, we will drink one toast once we finally adjourn for the evening, and I know that your Grandmother would insist you at least try the Armagnac the one time with her blessings. Harry and Ron, you may partake with Arthur and Molly's permission and restrictions for Ron, and Sirius's permission and restrictions for Harry."

The introductions started as the adults served themselves either coffee or liquor. First up was "I am Remus Lupin, Harry and all. I arrived right as Molly cupped your face.

"For what it's worth, I apologize for not being there before. But like Ron already told you, I was blocked out by the blood wards, and stayed away for your safety. While I had a 'feeling' that the Dursleys weren't treating you right, I also knew for a fact that one of the attacks against your house in Surrey was led by Fenrir Greyback himself! Had I any choice, even understanding the sorrow your life was with the Dursleys, I would have still preferred them to Lycanthropy.

"I wear the Seneschal Ring for House Black, and the Deputy Seneschal Ring now for House Potter. The estates were frozen right after your parents passed, so you would remain with the Dursleys, your life being more important than other things. Sirius had the estates unfrozen four years ago and set back to rights." He also preferred tea, lemon slice floated on top, one lump.

Next was "Sirius Black, Prongslett. While less than a month in the high-security wing of Azkaban with constant Dementor exposure doesn't require eighteen months of hospitalization at St. Mungo's, having the Dementors try sucking your soul out through your mouth to kill you a dozen times in less than four hours, with three times making mouth contact and actually starting to remove your soul _does._

"Eighteen months saw me free from St. Mungo's, but sill every bit an invalid. You were seven before I had actually recovered, but I still have an occasional Terror Attack, and will for the rest of my life. I didn't care about the court order. I _did_ care about Fenrir Greyback, though. I suspected that things were worse than Dumbledore let on, and I knew that if it weren't for the wards you wouldn't be there at all even with what Dumbledore admitted to, but I'm sorry. And, though I don't deserve it, I beg you to –OOF—"

Sirius was greeted by a godson who forgave his dogfather _without_ begging, thank you very much! Five minutes after the wet flying tackle hug with arms-full-of-eleven-year-old chaser, Sirius found his voice and finished for my benefit rather than the wet "I love you, don't leave me!" of my lover, "I wear the Lord and Head of House Ring for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, and the Regent-Guardian ring for the House of Peverell-Potter. While he will live with your Mum and Dad since they won't let you move in with me, and I'm quite happy with him moving in with you, I am his guardian. I give him permission to drink the Armagnac tonight SPARINGLY. You can give him as much as you like, but since I'm sure that this is his first time having alcohol, the puke, crying, and hangover are on _you_ if it gets that far, as an 'object lesson.'" Yepper, Same old Padfoot. He is also a Firewhisky on the rocks drinker when not holding a very clingy godson.

Mum served Dad and herself some of the tea, taking black for both. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall both went straight for the Armagnac, and surprisingly Neville did as well.

"Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall?" he asked. "Gran has had me drink once in a while. Harry and Ron will also need me all day tomorrow at least, even with their breakthrough tonight, just in case there is a 'setback." With both of your permission, I'll gently nurse one snifter, with water on the side, and charge it back just enough for courtesy when we end the evening. Gran speaks highly of your Armagnac, and would be disappointed if I failed to responsibly enjoy as much as my body and requirements for decorum will allow." With both professors nodding approval, Neville served himself a decent snifter, particularly for an eleven-year-old, and his first sip brought joy to his face.

I asked, "Professor Dumbledore, is that House of Flamel?"

He answered, "Yes, it is. Nicholas, Perenelle, and I are quite close, after all. You _know_ about House of Flamel?"

I replied, "Know of it, yes. I had it seven times in my first life before the investment bankers took over and ruined it. In my second lifetime, the Flamels were somewhat more durable, but I only had it twice, despite running in a more 'moneyed' crowd. It's not the kind of stuff an honest Field Auror brings home, and even the husband of the Minister of Magic can not drink what no longer exists."

I turned to Mum and asked, "May I follow Neville's example, _please?_ " acting more like the eleven-year-old I finally accepted myself as being.

She shook her head and sighed, "I guess so, under the same restrictions as Harry. Plus, if _either_ of you get sick or hung-over, you _both will_ write formal letters of apology to Madame Longbottom for the grief you will put Neville through, _and_ to Headmaster Dumbledore for abusing his hospitality and misusing his liquor. How many lawns would you have to mow for a bottle of that stuff, anyway?"

As I claimed my snifter, I answered, "Every lawn in Devon, Mum." I asked Professor McGonagall, "Can the house-elves send Neville's and my bottles of Butterbeer to Fred and George with my compliments and no other explanation, please?"

Our Head of House allowed a slight grin and answered, "Yes, Mr. Weasley, they can and may." The bottles vanished.

A now shiny-eyed lover came up to me as I finished pouring my fill. He asked, "May I take a sip? I'm not going to pour a BMW-priced glass of alcohol only to find I don't like it. Sirius says that Remus seldom drinks, and that he prefers Firewhisky on the rocks when he drinks at all anymore."

I nodded and handed him the snifter. He sniffed, shrugged, and took a sip. He didn't spit it out or drop the glass, but he did make a bit of a face.

He handed the glass back and said, "It was very good. But it burned, so I think I'll stick with the Butterbeer. Is Butterbeer like lager or ale?"

I answered, "No, Harry. It's like homemade Muggle Root Beer, except it's actually made with real butter and extra milk sugar. It has half of a percent of alcohol or so, where most ales or lagers have about five percent. It tastes like butterscotch."

We both sat down with me on the right, and Harry on the left, holding my hand and drinking left-handed while he gently caressed my left foot with his right. He answered my unasked question, "Dudley would hurt my right hand sometimes, and a time or two it felt broken and I couldn't use it. It was easier to learn to be ambidextrous than to be beaten for not doing my chores."

He then went back to speaking to the whole room. "I've actually finished most of my own story. After Ron and I were dressed, he quizzed me for a few minutes on the spells he taught me.

"Hermione came around, all bossy but actually meaning well, to tell Ron and me that we needed to change into our uniforms. When she saw us, _in uniform,_ it took the wind out of her sails, and the sales with them! We both apologized to each other, and now I had _three_ friends in my year, and one is a smart girl! Although if our bond will let us find a woman each to make children from our own bodies, she might be _Ron's_ girl, since the version of her in his first lifetime married him.

"We got to Hogwarts, and crossed the Black Lake. On the way to the boats, I noticed that I could kind of see the Thestrals, but only when holding Ron's hand. He said that I should be glad that I couldn't see them by myself. He told me why, and I agree with him.

"We crossed the lake, went into the castle, and saw some of the school ghosts while waiting to be sorted. When it was my turn, the hat tried to talk me into going into Slytherin, but I refused. The hat told me that I would be great there. I told him in return that I didn't want to die, and that it only took _one_ bigoted son or daughter of _one_ Death Eater to make a mistake they couldn't take back, and that Voldemort recruited mostly in Slytherin because he was the last direct living descendant _of_ Slytherin. The hat peeked at Ron through our bond and sorted me into Gryffindor.

"Everybody went wild for 'The Boy Who Lived,' but I had spent a great enough time being appreciated for just being 'Harry' that I was able to be nice about it. Percy, Fred, and George welcomed me to Gryffindor, and Neville waived me over to sit next to him. He whispered into my ear, and told me to take off my left shoe and sock, put them in a robe pocket, and roll up my trouser leg. When I asked him 'why,' he said that he knew Ron and I were soul-bonded, that his mum and dad were too, and that we would need to do more than just hold hands, and still needed both hands to eat. Even though Ron and I had a nice lunch, we were both hungry again.

"By the time Ron was sorted, Neville had written his instructions for Ron down on a scrap of parchment. Ron did it, and we wrapped our near legs around each other, since Neville had Ron sit between us. Nobody but Ron and Neville paid attention to me, which was great!

"When dessert came, Neville started everybody talking about their backgrounds. His story was sad, but I was proud that Neville was brave enough and strong enough to not only live through it, but to talk about it, too.

"After Neville finished, Lucky Boy popped up in his face to cheer him up, before going to Ron to get some attention and dessert. Ron told his story, including his stopping the Evil Rat Man, and his apprenticing with Ollivander's. He took long enough, that everyone else rushed in to tell their story, and they forgot all about _me, again!_ It was great!

"When it was time to sing the school song, Neville made Ron and me follow him up to the front of the Great Hall while none of the students were looking, so we could get help from the Headmaster. Ron and I both knew we were going to need to see the Headmaster quickly, but we didn't think it would be anything like it would end up being."

Neville said, "Harry, if I may, I'll 'talk' us up to the Headmaster's Office. Did you notice how I made the funny face at Professor Dumbledore, with my eyes bugged wide open, and a big smile on my face?

"The two main pieces of the magical mind arts are 'Occlumency," or the sorting, ordering, and defending of your mind, and "Legilimency," or the reading of another's thoughts, after defeating or going around that person's shields. While most students have no idea, Headmaster Dumbledore is a master at both arts, and the Headmaster is allowed to read the surface thoughts of students without any notice or permission. I know this because Gran is on the Hogwarts Board of Directors, and it really isn't a secret – just something students don't know. It's no different from a Muggle Headmaster being allowed to and able to search a student's locker at a Muggle School. If the locker is open, and the Headmaster sees something, he can deal with it as he sees fit. Same here, just that none of _our_ lockers have doors, though I don't know of any first year who knows how to look, other than Ron?

I answered, "I have the ability, but I _don't._ I'm out of practice, Field Aurors have much greater restrictions, and if I tried it right now, I'd be as subtle as a brick to the head." I'm not actually that bad, but only Harry needs to know, and only if he "stumbles upon it" before we agree on "privacy."

Neville took over again. "Anyway, I _knew,_ and Professor Dumbledore had a pretty good idea that _I knew._ You have to be pretty good at both Occlumency and Legilimency to 'push' a message to someone. You only need to get their attention and have your message at the front of your mind to get them to 'pull' it. With the face I was making, who _wouldn't_ take a quick look?

"My message was this. 'Ron Weasley and Harry Potter are soul-bonded. Their bond is almost a 'runaway.' They've already had sex, and they seem to have only met on the train. They will crash within the hour.' Professor Dumbledore knew I should know what I was talking about, but only if my magic was working ok, which he probably wasn't sure about. My next surface thought was my borrowing Ron's wand, throwing sparks, and casting _Lumos_ with it with only ten seconds of instruction.

"And no, guys, I _couldn't_ have told you exactly what was going on. If I had, you'd have crashed _right there in the Great Hall._ As it was, with you guys only thinking about a private room together, we didn't have that much time to spare to get you out of sight without getting you where you couldn't be helped."

Professor Dumbledore added, "I read more deeply than that, but only enough to know that you were really telling the truth. I got the three of you out of the Great Hall after sending Percy Weasley to attend to his prefect duties. I believed it was between Molly, Arthur, and Harry and Ron when Percy would find out, but that it would do no one any good for Percy to find out Sunday Night.

"It's getting late. I suggest we continue this conversation tomorrow starting at suppertime? I believe that Professor Flitwick can handle the Great Hall, and that both Harry and Ron will appreciate the night and tomorrow to catch up with their thoughts, particularly Harry. Molly, will Arthur and you be able to make it?"

Mum answered, "We can be there at half-five. Ginny is sleeping over with Luna. Hopefully, Pandora will _'see'_ fit to have Ginny over for another night."

Neville said, "Mrs. Weasley, from what I saw on the train, and what Harry just told us, they would have done what did with or _without_ Pandora's 'gift.'"

As Mum calmed down and nodded, Professor Dumbledore asked, "Sirius, can Remus and you make it as well?"

Sirius answered, "We'll be here at half-five. Will you want us all to meet you at the gate, or Floo into your office?"

Professor Dumbledore answered, "The Gate will be fine. I'll see to it that Hagrid has a carriage waiting at the gate, so you don't have to walk." Translated: 'I know the Weasleys aren't made of Floo powder, but don't want to make a show of it.'

We drank our "toast," the liquor, other refreshments, and trash 'left,' and so did our guests except for Professor McGonagall. She said, "Mr. Longbottom, I will stop by at half-eight tomorrow with an assignment for the three of you to work on. You will also tell Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley more of what you know about their bond, and help them if they need it. If Messrs Potter and Weasley aren't up by ten, wake them. Otherwise, let them sleep in. I bid the three of you a very good evening." With that, she left Neville and us alone together again in the room.


	9. Chapter 9 Truth and Dare

**Chapter 9, "Truth** ** _and_** **Dare," where Ron discovers that he is training a co-worker…**

Our visitors had just left for the night. Neville, Harry, and I were alone.

"Guys," Neville asked. "I didn't mean to sound mean about the y-fronts."

Harry answered for both of us. "It's all good, Neville. With the reason _why_ we needed to borrow them in the first place, I don't think that you would be expected to _want_ them back! _Do you want them back?"_ Harry asked with a grin.

Neville blushed and looked down, tracing the toe of his shoe on the rug. He muttered, "Maybe?"

He added, "But even if I didn't, I was still 'mean' with the way I said it, and I'm sorry. Friends?"

Harry replied, "Friends, Neville.

Harry himself blushed, and added, "If you were 'curious,' Ron and I _might_ be willing to help with that, if the bond will let us. I was 'curious' too, before I met Ron and things happened. We won't say anything to anyone, so you don't have to worry about that. And, we won't say anything mean about how you look, either. But you _do_ have to _really want it yourself,_ not just because you're so close to our bond that it's starting to mess with _you._ You also have to promise that if we _do_ do anything, that you won't blame _us_ later on if you feel bad, or wish you hadn't done it."

Neville answered, "Sure! I'm not too sure I want to actually _do_ anything yet, but I do feel 'guilty' that I've been seeing you guys starkers and hard all day, but you haven't seen me like that. Do you want to see?"

Harry answered, "Do you _really_ want to show us? Not just because you're feeling guilty?"

Neville swallowed, and answered, "I want to."

Harry asked, "Have you ever wanked?"

Neville blushed and shook his head.

Harry asked, "Do you want to?"

Neville blushed bright red. He answered, "Will you guys show me how?"

"Ron?" Harry asked.

I answered, "This is more his and your idea, Harry. I'm alright with it, though if you both want to. Did we put the 'lube' in your trunk or mine on the train?"

"Mine, Ron. Why?"

"It will work better than spit."

"Ok, Ron" Harry answered.

I next spoke to Neville. "Neville, I'm cool with us wanking together this once. We'll see what happens if anything after that, ok?"

"Sure, Ron, what do you want me to do?"

"I'm going to ask you to get starkers in several steps, and have you grab a thing or two to bring into the common room. We'll do it right here, out on the floor. If you really want to do this, it will get you more excited. If you don't, it will give you more time to 'change your mind.' Sound good?"

Neville nodded.

I asked, "Will your house-elf say anything to anyone about this?"

Neville answered, "No. Mipsy keeps my secrets."

I cast a quick wandless privacy charm on the room and replied, "Ok. Take off your shoes and socks, and set them against the wall." Neville did.

"Ok, take off your robe, tie, and jumper-vest." Neville did. He folded the robe and set it on the floor next to his shoes. He set the vest and tie on top of it.

"Now, take off your shirt and undershirt." He hesitated just a little bit, but did so, setting them neatly on the growing stack of clothes.

He now stood barefooted and bare-chested in front of us. He was blushing, but also smiling.

"Ok, now, go in to Harry's and my bedroom. Get the sheet we were wearing, bring it out here, and spread it out on the floor. We'll be sitting on that together."

Neville grabbed the sheet, brought it out, and spread it out on the floor.

"Great. Now, take off your trousers."

Neville took them off. He was not only visibly hard beneath his y-fronts, but also just a little 'damp.' I guess he _was_ thinking of 'something.'

I gave him his next errand. "Ok, now grab the tube of K-Y Jelly out of Harry's trunk."

Harry added, "It should be right on top. I didn't remember to even lock my trunk, so it should be fine."

Neville went into Harry's and my room again, and quickly came out with the 'lube.' Harry and I stood up, and removed each other's borrowed nightshirts.

I said, "Last chance to not do this? Do you want to wank with us?"

Neville blushed, and nodded.

I answered, "Ok, Take off your y-fronts."

Harry and I took each other's off, and Neville removed his own. We stood together naked. Neville wasn't really "pudgy," but he did have what some would call "baby-fat" still. But he didn't look unpleasant by any means. Neville wasn't quite as "big" as I was, but he was by no means small, either; particularly not for his age.

Over the next few minutes, we wanked together as we watched each other. Neville's self-confidence and 'body image' actually grew almost visibly.

As we cleaned ourselves with tissues, Harry asked Neville, "Are you 'curious' about anything else?"

Neville answered, "Not really. This felt _great,_ but I was more excited about the wanking than being with two guys while doing it, even you two. Do I really look _good_?"

Harry replied, "Yeah, you really _do._ But I could tell that you had decided that this was enough.

"I felt that I had to show you, _somehow,_ that there are very few things I wouldn't do for a friend, Neville; and that I trust you that you wouldn't _want_ anything that I wouldn't willingly give you, or even think to ask for it. If you _had_ wanted to do more, provided that it was _you,_ and not you being affected by Ron's and my soul bond, I would have done as much as the bond allowed. And Ron would have, too.

"You have already helped the two of us; a _lot._ 'Thank you' doesn't even begin to cover it. But, while Ron and I are, I hope, your _best_ friends, we aren't even _close_ to being 'safe' friends.

"The Voldemort War will resume in full in less than six years, Neville. I will be at the centre of it. Even _without_ this soul bond, Ron would be, too. If you stay at our sides, _you_ will also be at the centre of the way.

"Ron will start training me as soon as we get this 'bond stuff' sorted. If you plan on staying as my friend, and at my side, then I _need_ you to train with us, as well. If you…

Neville stopped him, saying, "There is no other choice to it, Harry. We will train together.

"I am not Ron Weasley. I will not fight Dark Wizards for the rest of my life as an Auror, Battle Mage, or anything of the sort. But I _will_ train as best I can, and I _will_ fight at your side until the war is won.

"Your parents are fully gone. I understand that more than many. Yet mine are well and truly stuck. They live without living, and they are dead yet not dying. They are truly trapped on the threshold of eternity, and I can neither draw them back nor send them forward.

"I do not choose to fight for revenge. To do so would require me to dig an extra grave for myself. I will not allow the enemy that satisfaction. Yet, I _will_ fight with everything I possess, even my life itself.

"Death is not to be chased, certainly not at our young ages. But there are things out there that are _worse_ than death. Voldemort and his followers are the personification of those things. When the battle is rightly joined, I will fight as they do, without becoming like them. If they enter the field of deadly combat, they shall not _leave_ it.

"So, when war comes, we will fight. Until then, we will train. If the enemy longs for 'rivers of blood,' then by our own toil, sweat, and tears we shall dig the rivers today. Come the day, the _enemy_ shall fill the river with their _own_ blood, not ours."

Harry and I both watched and listened as Neville spoke. We were both in agreement. _He was telling the truth and would not back down or change his mind. He was with us._

Harry said, "Thanks, Neville. Just don't hate us a month from now. Ron built his first training course here when he was _five._ I'd hug you, but we're all still kinda…"

Neville quickly hugged Harry before he even knew what was going on. As Harry relaxed and returned the hug, Neville said, "Ok, you hug your friends. I get it. I also get 'first dibs' on the shower!

"Ron, unless you guys plan on just sharing Harry's toothbrush and stuff, you might want to wash your hands and get yours out of your trunk, since the house-elves can't get in to it."

Neville walked into the loo. He said over his shoulder, "For however long it's all three of us in here, we can 'work around' sharing the loo. We'd be doing the same with two other blokes in Gryffindor Tower, anyway."

Harry and I went into the loo. Fortunately, there actually were two decent-sized sinks, so we both quickly washed and dried our hands, along with getting our fronts just a little bit less messy to tide us over for our turns in the shower. Just before he turned on the water, Neville said, "My toothbrush is the red one. You two might share your brush, but I _don't._

As we went into our bedroom to get the rest of our shower and hygiene stuff out of our trunks, Harry and I noticed that we had fresh nightshirts, undershirts, and y-fronts laid out for us already.

I opened my trunk for the first time since I closed it Saturday night after packing. I took out my shower and hygiene stuff, and closed the trunk without locking the first compartment. I called Mipsy.

"Master Ron called for Mipsy?" she asked.

I answered, "Yes. The first compartment of my trunk is now unsealed so the Hogwarts house-elves and you can get into it. Please let the other elves know."

"Mipsy will let the others know, Master Ron," she answered before vanishing.

"Why is your trunk locked and warded against _house-elves, anyway?_ " Harry asked.

"I have my reasons," I replied, "and I'll let you know when those reasons become important. The only reason this became an issue is because I haven't been able to unlock it for the house-elves prior to now. If we had had things not blow up on us Sunday night, I would have opened it for them without their even having realized that it was locked."

I called Mipsy again.

"Master Ron called for Mipsy again?"

"Yes. If you can have whoever does it put the crests on the rest of my robes and change the rest of my ties and jumper-vests to Gryffindor colours, please?"

"Mipsy will do this herself. Mipsy will also be placing Master Ron's Seneschal badges on the rest of his robes, too." She vanished even before I could thank her.

Harry and I joined Neville in the loo with our stuff, and worked our way through getting showered and brushing our teeth. He was out before the two of us. When Harry and I left the loo, Neville was sitting in the common room with three steaming tokkuri and three saucers sitting on the coffee table, along with a stack of several comic books, set face-down.

He said, "I know it's late, but I'm used to going without enough sleep from time to time, and you guys can sleep in until ten in the morning if you want to. Seeing that it's still only a quarter 'til midnight, we can be up just a little bit longer."

Shrugging, Harry and I went in to the bedroom. As we put on our underwear and nightshirts, I asked, "Did you have other plans?"

"No," he answered. "We were both physically satisfied with our little 'experiment' with Neville, so I'm good. I'm also curious what the junk is that Neville wants us to share with him."

"It's sake, which is a Japanese alcoholic drink. _I'm_ curious why _Neville_ would drink it, though."

We returned to the common room and sat on the sofa, with Neville facing us across the table in one of the chairs. As we sat, Neville filled his saucer from his tokkuri and drank, with a smile of enjoyment on his face. I quickly showed Harry how to pour the sake without burning his hand, and had him try a saucer. He seemed to like it well enough. Satisfied that one tokkuri wouldn't hurt him or me; I poured my own and drank a saucer.

The sake was surprisingly good! Few of us Brits in _either world_ were really into the stuff in the early 1990s, and fewer still actually went to the trouble of getting the good stuff. Or, when they did, they either served the sake that was supposed to be served hot _cold,_ or served the cold sake _hot._ Neville got it right, though. Seeing that the Hat told me that all the rest of my first-class actually _were_ eleven year olds, this had me even more confused.

"How is it, Ron?" Neville asked.

"You got the good stuff! _That_ was why I was making a 'face,' if I was. You're just _one day older than Harry._ How would you know that much about sake?"

"Did you have comic books around your house when you grew up?"

I thought for a moment, and realized that we _didn't_ really have any, at least not any that were newer than before I was about four. I never missed them, because I was too busy either studying, or whatever else, but not reading comic books.

I finally answered, "I was too busy reading other stuff to notice, but nothing newer than about 1984."

Neville said, "I know that real life is not a comic book, or a kid's book. But, I knew when we met on the train, that you were not 'just' Ron Weasley, but that you were the _real life 'Hand-Cast Ronnie, the Wizard with No Wand.'_ The stories all said that you dressed in clean but scruffy clothes. You almost _never_ used a wand. You had a trained Kneazle Familiar from the Far East that could wield magic. You helped those in need without accepting money in return, and that your only vice, though enjoyed only in moderation, was Dewatsuru Kimoto Junmai Sake, served hot and in saucers.

"Harry, growing up in the Muggle world, you wouldn't have seen this at all. But the 'Hand-Cast Ronnie' comic books were almost as big as the 'Harry Potter' comics, and sometimes even more. While you were recognizable by your hair, scar, glasses, and eye colour, 'Hand-Cast Ronnie' was recognizable by his red hair, blue eyes, and 'scruffy but clean' clothes. He was also famous for being able to hide in plain sight without even casting a spell, being recognized only at _his_ own choosing."

I, of course, was beyond shocked. While I calmly continued to enjoy my sake, Harry was more than a little bit nervous. So was I, come to that. While coincidences _do_ happen, the potential questions raised if this was _not_ a coincidence were more than 'just a little bit frightening.' Or, it could just be Pandora Lovegood writing under a pseudonym.

I poured the last saucer in my tokkuri and set the empty vessel down. It immediately filled again, fresh and hot. While I didn't see her, Mipsy explained, "Master Neville's books say that Master Ron sometimes drinks a second tokkuri."

I drank my saucer and checked on Harry. He had drunk his second saucer and was drinking his third. I told him, "You won't want more than one of the little bottles that you are almost finished with. They are called 'tokkuri,' by the way."

He nodded pensively in silent assent.

Neville turned over the top comic book of the stack so I could see the cover. It featured both Harry and me, as we would look when we were around fourteen or so. He was dressed in what was a combination of dress robes and a Quidditch uniform, and I was dressed more or less, as I did when I wasn't in a school uniform. We were both riding brooms with our legs only. Harry was dual-casting with wands, and _I_ was dual-casting without.

We were engaged in what appeared to be an aerial battle with a woman in a sphinx costume over the temporary Quidditch World Cup Stadium. Aurors were fighting other evildoers in the skies below us. I looked at the by-line for the comic book. It was 'The Opened Box.'

I asked, "Do you know when these first came out?"

Neville answered, "1985 or so."

I said, "Thanks for sharing this. I think I know the author, and if I do, I'm sure they didn't mean harm by this. Was I just 'famous' because of the comic book?"

"No. You were almost as famous _everywhere,_ though your last name has only been publicly known for about a year. Even the comic book never says."

Ok, if it was her, she was probably under orders. Along with the soul bond, that's _two_ things I needed to ask Croaker about.

"Yeah, Neville, it _is_ a bit of a shock, and throwing in the fact that I drink sake, and their actually naming _my favourite brand_ of sake is more shocking still. I think I know who wrote it and perhaps a small part of _why…_

"Neville, by the way, do you have any part-time jobs that are not spoken of?"

He turned white as a sheet. He answered weakly, "But Great Uncle Algie only hired me this morning!"

I looked him in the eye, and Harry did too. I asked, "Have you knowingly told me any falsehood, _ever?"_

Without breaking eye contact, he shook his head.

I asked, "Have you ever knowing mislead either Harry or me?"

Again, he shook his head without breaking eye contact. I had watched him, and so did Harry. Even this Harry had a sense of if someone was trying to lie to him. Mine was much stronger, by necessity. Short of fetching my Veritaserum from my trunk, he was _telling me the truth._

He turned his palms up, and slowly extended his forearms to me. He said, "My wand is in my right holster, which I _still_ don't know how to use. My left holster is empty. I _did_ tell Harry first, in a way…"

Harry added, "Yeah. I felt his holsters when he hugged me."

I checked both holsters. It was as he said. I told him, "Point your right arm away from us. Rotate your hand at the wrist slightly clockwise, while intending to have your wand in your hand." He did so, and barely caught the wand as it shot out.

"With your permission, I will take your wand from your hand. Do not try to cast." He cooperated, and I had Weasley Wand Number Nine in my hand. I 'listened' to it for a moment. It had chosen Neville at around seven o'clock Monday morning. It had yet to cast a spell. I asked, "Did your Great Uncle Algie give you anything for me?"

"He gave me five envelopes. He said that if I first trusted you with my darkest secret, shared sake with you, and you did not dose me with Veritaserum that you were to receive the second envelope. I was not supposed to tell you about the other four."

"Does he know what you asked us to do with you earlier? And how did you tell Harry anything?"

"No. Only my handler, and only because she _saw._ She said that she would be _your_ handler now as well."

Without losing sight of Neville, I started to move toward Harry's and my bedroom to fetch our wands.

"Mrrow" Lucky Boy walked out of the bedroom, carrying all three holsters by the wrist-straps. He jumped onto the sofa, and dropped all three onto Harry's lap. Harry put his holster on and handed me mine. I sat back down, handed Harry Neville's wand, and put my holsters on. While I didn't need my wands for a lot of things, it was nice to have them. However, this was looking even more like a botched blind meet than anything else.

I asked, "Lucky Boy, what do you think?" He jumped off of the sofa, walked around, and jumped onto Neville's lap. He head-butted Neville in the face. Without thinking Neville started to pet the happy and purring Kneazle. Ok, that settled it. If Neville _himself_ was in any way untrustworthy or about to attack me, he would have become _the late_ Neville Longbottom. I would then have had to split my attention between calming Harry, fighting off Neville's house-elf, and vanishing the evidence.

"Lucky Boy, do you know Neville's supervisor from work?" He looked at Neville for a moment, looked back at me, and chirruped.

"Are you able to bring her to Hogwarts for a few minutes?" He nodded.

"Please do, I think that she may have 'seen' this coming."

Lucky Boy disappeared. About thirty seconds later, he appeared in the arms of Pandora Lovegood.

She drew up the other chair and started talking. "First, the three of you should know better than to invite strange women into your dorms at night, especially strange _older_ women. Second, 'you're welcome.' Xeno tried it once on _me_ with 'just spit.' He didn't touch _me_ again for a week, and solid food for three days. Third, I told Croaker that he would be much better off making this assignment _in person,_ even _with_ the bother that is going on. Obviously, he had better thoughts. Any questions so far?"

I answered, "I have a _lot_ of questions. I will be respectful and polite provided I'm not lied to, and that _Harry_ is not lied to. Courtesy calls first, though.

I told Neville's elf, "Mipsy, bring one more tokkuri and saucer for Mrs. Lovegood, and please top them all off."

Turning back to Neville, I asked him, "Neville, what is your rank?"

He stammered, "Mage Trainee, sir."

I replied, "Mage Trainee Longbottom, Please take your wand from my hand. After doing so, point it straight up above the level of our eyes, cast _Lumos, Nox,_ and then holster it."

He took the wand, and cast the two spells. The _Lumos_ was pure white, and fairly bright. The _Nox_ extinguished instantly. He hesitated, and said, "Great Uncle Algie put it in the holster for me. He said that _you_ were supposed to teach me how to use it."

"Fine, lower your arm. Holding the wand more or less parallel to your forearm, twist your right hand at the wrist anti-clockwise while intending the wand to be drawn into your holster. Relax, and use the same amount of intent as you did when I had you draw it."

He did, and the wand holstered without any problems.

"Neville, how much of what we did earlier was _orders,_ and how much was _you_?"

"It was all me…" he sniffed in a whisper as his tears started to flow. I watched. He was _not_ acting. More importantly, _Harry_ believed him, judging by his quickly moving around the table and hugging Neville as if life itself depended on it! I could feel the relief thrum through the bond.

I slipped into "Battle-Mage" mode and continued to talk to the mother of my childhood friend, but who now was a co-worker, and likely my superior as well. She was no less than my "official" contact with the DOM.

"Pandora, how far have you been read into this, and when."

"Six o'clock Monday Morning. Harry and you were at the top of the 'most-secret' blotter when Croaker read it at half-six. The first thing I had to do was convince him that this was a _complication_ to your mission, not the central piece."

"Thanks, Pandora. I hope Croaker realizes that if I _knew_ I was going to get soul-bonded and have my sexual orientation 'flipped,' that I _would_ have told him."

"What about Luna?"

"I'd rather get the mission stuff sorted first. However, her 'chances' have actually gone _up,_ unless you _see_ that I shouldn't try. Harry will need to marry a woman, should our bond allow, which it just might. He insists that I marry as well. Out of the people I know of _today,_ she is the most likely to accept me and my circumstances without any regret or recrimination.

"How far have you been read in, Pandora?"

"I am your 'handler' and advisor. This is still your mission. Croaker brought Longbottom in to help because of his instinctive understanding of soul bonds in general. Croaker wanted to send him in completely 'blind,' but I _saw_ even greater complications if that happened.

"I saw Neville being 'curious' about Harry's and your circumstances, with the curiosity driven only partly by his exposure to your bond. I suggested that he try for what you did earlier tonight, but nothing further. After that, I saw him either doing more, but only before the weekend, or doing nothing and being equally happy either way, provided he was honest with the two of you.

"Provided he is honest, whether he does nothing, something, or 'everything' he will have no problems from the experience training or fighting the war. I still haven't seen any path guaranteeing victory or defeat. I have tried to _look_ but my _gift_ doesn't cooperate with being pushed.'"

I asked, "May Harry also join the DOM? Though he will fight no matter what, it's only right to pay him. And, having an official appointment may save us some amount of bother down the road."

"Croaker authorized me to appoint him, should he truly want to join. I haven't _seen_ anything, so I can't give that kind of advice. If the mission is what I'm guessing it is, it will probably help. After the war, he can stay active, go into the reserves, or resign.

"If he plans on doing anything in the Ministry outside of the DOM, he will need to resign as soon as the mission is completed. If he is active with his family seat on the Wizengamot, he won't _have_ to resign, but it might be a _lot_ easier if he does. If he thinks he might want to run for Minister, he will have no choice but to resign as soon as the mission is complete, otherwise, he will not be able to get the votes to be elected."

I asked, "How 'accessible' is the Soul Bond registry? Who can see it?"

Pandora replied, "The registry is maintained by another department within DOM. I don't know which department handles it. What I know is this. We monitor the registry closely. The Department Head is informed no later than his morning briefing of a _ny_ entry that shows up overnight.

"On Sundays, the Watch Officer _can_ handle _simpler_ matters until the next morning. Since the Watch Officer did _not_ know that you were a Battle Mage running a mission, he decided and acted correctly.

"When there _is_ an entry reported, _normally_ a meeting is called _immediately_ to figure out how best to help the couple. Public announcements are made automatically _only_ in the case of male to female bonds, due to the killing of a female to female bonded pair in 1527.

"Even for the automatic announcements, the Department Head and Section Heads are required to meet within 48 hours to ensure the greatest assistance and least interference to the newly bonded couple.

"The Department Head can authorize someone who is actually listed in the registry to view it. Otherwise, it is _not_ available to the general public, or most employees. There are typically no more than seven people _alive_ at any point in time beyond those listed in the book itself who may inspect it."

"What has happened in _my_ case?"

"Croaker ordered the whole damned business sealed since your mission is likely critical at least. We _can_ release the information if needed for your benefit or the benefit of the mission. We do not intend to do so otherwise. All traces have been cancelled against Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and yourself."

"Will the DOM be able to offer any additional assistance other than having one Mage Trainee or possibly two? Perhaps training facilities on or realistically close to the Hogwarts grounds, so that we have more options than the Room of Requirement? Or, perhaps they can assist, or at least support whatever idea Headmaster Dumbledore may come up with in dealing with our privacy? And if the Department has a Pensieve they can issue to us, we'll need it desperately."

"Croaker has already put you on full pay, as well as Trainee Longbottom. Harry Potter will also be started on full pay should he join. Outdoor facilities are not likely any time soon since they would be too 'visible,' and we don't have that good of a relationship with the Centaurs.

"We will assist and support what Headmaster Dumbledore comes up with if it makes sense. We can also offer him suggestions. We can also strongly suggest that if it is at all realistically possible, that Trainee Longbottom continue to share quarters with you similar to if not this exact VIP flat.

"We are also looking into the possibility of getting the three of you off of school grounds for training related activities. We will have a training officer come in from time to time to evaluate what you have going, and offer pointers where and when needed. Once your office and living quarters are secured and secure, we will get you one."

"Ok. That's work done, for now. Why the comic books? I can get that Mum and Dad hid this from me as a kid. _I'd_ have hid this from me as a kid! But how bad is the fame everywhere else? And why did _you_ write this? Having thought about it, I'm actually more _touched_ than miffed, but _why?_ "

"What do you know about fiction writing, Ronnie?"

"Not much, and hold the Floo."

I turned my attention to my lover and his friend. My connection with Harry wasn't blocked, but it was strangely quiet. Neville and Harry were holding each other (and _not_ like Harry and I held each other, pervs!) and were almost asleep together in one of the wingback chairs. As I turned towards them, Harry was fully alert again.

" _You still mad at us, Old Man?"_ he asked, hesitantly.

I answered as I walked towards them, "I was never angry at you, Harry. And I was only angry with Neville before I figured out that he hadn't been lying to us. Wake Neville back up. Pandora is going to tell us why she wrote the comic books about us. While we might get a Pensieve once our living arrangements here at school are finalized, he'll want to hear this first-hand. Unlike us, he grew up reading and enjoying them. If I were him, I'd really want to hear this, too."

Harry drew his wand, and cast a light _Rennervate_ on Neville. As Neville started to fidget, Harry stopped him saying, "Relax, Nev; he _isn't_ mad at us! Our 'handler' also wrote your favourite comic books. She's going to tell us why she did, and how she came up with the idea! Cool, huh?"

The three of us sat together on the sofa, with Harry between Neville on his left, and me on his right. Harry squeezed Neville's right hand quickly, and let it go. He had hiked our nightshirts up past the knee, and had his right leg draped over my left, caressing the inside of my left leg with his toes. We turned our heads toward each other as one, and quickly kissed each other. I felt him relax happily, but fully awake and alert.

Turning back to Pandora, I said, "Pandora Lovegood, this is my soul-bonded, Harry Potter. The young man to 'your' right of us is Neville Longbottom, heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom, and Harry's chief political ally. Harry, Neville, this is Pandora Lovegood. She helps her husband Xenophilius Lovegood publish _The Quibbler,_ which is a weekly magazine. Her daughter Luna will be starting Hogwarts next year."

Changing subjects, I said, "As I had asked, Pandora; how bad was my 'fame' in general, and why did you write the comic books? You asked me what I knew about fiction writing and publishing, and I answered that I knew little or nothing. Please explain?"

She poured herself a saucer from her tokkuri. I followed her example, pouring one more saucer for Harry. As he accepted his, Harry said, "Last call for me, Old Man. Mipsy will send my tokkuri to Ignatius, I told her where to find him from your memories. Neville is already done, Mipsy sent his tokkuri to Percy, who is up alone and late studying in the common room."

Looking down at the table again, I saw only Pandora's and my tokkuri remaining. A small plate of "California Rolls", with wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce on the side, was sitting with a pair of chopsticks. I fed Harry his first California Roll, to his pleasure and satisfaction. Eating one myself, I turned back to Pandora.

She told us, "The 'fame,' as you put it, was starting to get rather bothersome, even though your name at the trials was merely 'Ronnie X.' The defence barristers tried every trick in the book, and attempted to invent new ones, to discredit the story of how Pettigrew was exposed, to get the charges against him dismissed. While they failed their client rather spectacularly, they also started your 'legend.'

"You were hailed as a twenty MONTH old child who could wandlessly cast spells that would have challenged twenty YEAR old wizards with wands and verbalizing the spells! Most toddler magic is much tamer, such as summoning toys or books, banishing, colour changing, and changing the sizes of clothing.

"The 'legends' also grew, and started to get just as crazy as the stories about Harry Potter. Meanwhile, I was baby-sitting for your siblings and you, totally unaware that the young children I watched for Molly Weasley at home to in trade for having my own child baby-sat were also around the centre of the debates and squabbles around the tea kettle at my workplace.

"But eventually, I came to the conclusion that the young boy who was always friendly to his older brothers and doted on his younger sister and my own daughter was the 'real life' 'Ronnie X.'

"I heard rumours that someone was going to write a children's book about 'Ronnie X,' or 'Hand-Cast Ronnie.' I decided that if anyone was going to _write_ that, _I_ would, and that if anyone were to make money off of it, _you_ would.

"I copyrighted _both_ 'Ronnie X' and 'Hand-Cast Ronnie' as soon as I realized that no one else had. I now had _three months_ to write and publish a story! Under wizarding law, you can only hold a copyright on the names of 'fictional characters' for three months unless you actually write _and publish_ a story with the named character. This change was 'snuck in' by Lucius Malfoy to block Albus Dumbledore's attempts at giving Harry some privacy.

"This was just after you got Lucky Boy. I had been watching you as I either baby-sat or when you came by to play with Luna. I knew how you behaved, what you liked, and actually noticed just how much 'accidental' magic you were really doing and that most of it _was no accident at all!_ So, I actually had a _real_ 'character' I could 'build-up.'

"I had also taken Art at Hogwarts while it was still offered, and I was familiar with both moving and still comic books, since Xeno did contract printing for both at the time. I even had the final frame to the first storyline, _Hand-Cast Ronnie, the Muggle Newsmen, and the Eggs._

"In real life, you explained to Luna while she had Ginny, herself, and you playing 'Cowboys and Indians' like she had read in a Yank storybook. You said, 'But we _can't_ ride off into the sunset even if Mummy lets us, Luna! Yank cowboys can ride for days before they make the US West Coast. But we'd be at Land's End in under a quarter-hour by broom, and I didn't bring my swimming costume!' 'Hand-Cast Ronnie' sang as he rode his broomcycle off into the sunset: 'Oh, why can't I be a cowboy / as I ride off to the West? / I'll make Land's End in no time / and to swim, I'm overdressed!'

"I brought the gallery run for the first issue to your Mum, and I explained _why_ I wanted to publish it. I also explained that there were _other_ people out there who wouldn't be nearly so _kind_ to their youngest son should _they_ get to print. I also let her know that _you_ would get the money for your 'tall-tales,' unlike Harry.

"Though she wasn't _happy,_ she agreed, provided I did more to keep _all_ the fame away from Ginny and you until the two of you started Hogwarts. And, despite your Mum and Dad's best efforts, with some behind the scenes help from Albus Dumbledore no less, there _was_ 'fame' because of your outing of Peter Pettigrew.

"While it wasn't easy, we did our best. You never knew – even with your studying both the Grindelwald and You-Know-Who wars more closely than some _adult_ historians. While you are very mature for your age, we're _still_ not sure how well you would have 'handled' all the bother, and honestly thought that you shouldn't have had to handle it _full stop._

"As for how she kept things from you at home…

I added, "She put her foot down, Pandora. All of us kids have a saying about Mum: 'When Mum puts her foot down, best not be under it!'"

As I said that, Pandora turned slightly green. I asked, "What?"

She replied, "Rita Skeeter tried to bring your Mum up on charges of battery and attempted murder back in 1988. She claimed that Molly knocked her down and repeatedly stomped on her, until she managed to barely Apparate directly to St. Mungo's. DMLE threw her out after watching her memory in a Pensieve, and seeing your Mum look roughly five times the size of a Mountain Giant! Skeeter gave the memory from her hospital bed at St. Mungo's, mind you. And _something_ had definitely done a number on her."

I said, "I doubt that Mum knew what she was doing. Rita Skeeter is a beetle Animagus. Mum _wouldn't_ have attacked Rita Skeeter. But if a _bug_ got into her hair? Different story. What would _you_ do if a bug landed in _your_ hair?"

"Point," she answered.

She finished up her tale. "Anyway, whatever _I_ made went into a trust fund for you, Ron. On the issues that had the 'Boy Who Lived,' Harry's share has been locked up in a 'two and a half way' battle between Remus Lupin's solicitors acting for the Seneschal of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter, the lawyers for the authors of the 'Boy Who Lived' children's books, and my solicitors. They merely state that they will pay the person whom is _supposed_ to be paid once it is figured out by the courts, and that any legal fees incurred by the other parties are theirs alone. Mr. Lupin is also engaged in a suit with the 'Boy Who Lived' authors over their use for profit of the image of a _private citizen._

"People in the publishing community have been waiting for the 'other shoe' to drop on 'Hand-Cast Ronnie' as well. While my actual identity is protected under charms similar to the _Fidelis,_ people are unsure what _you_ will do, or at least what your _parents_ would do. Your identity as both 'Ronnie X' and the real-life inspiration for 'Hand-Cast Ronnie' came out in November of last year, and have only just made the latest revisions of the general histories surrounding the autumn of 1981."

I asked, "How good are the sales, really?"

"It's the best-seller in the magical UK, with really strong sales in the wizarding US, wizarding Western Europe, and _both_ wizarding and Muggle Japan." she answered.

"What is the current storyline and how many issues would that storyline have taken to end?" I asked.

"It was an adventure based on your GCSEs, along with the usual 'bad girl,' 'Lady Sphinx.' The 'Boy Who Lived,' along with your 'sidekicks' 'Lady Red' and 'Lady Gold' have infiltrated a ring giving out fake GCSE results to make the Muggles more stupid and more easily invaded. You did this at the behest of the Minister of Magic, the Prime Minister, and the Queen herself. I've only put out six issues of the set of eighteen. Our series always started in March, with two issues each month except for June, July, and August. I've written and drawn the whole set, but haven't released the first September set, yet."

I thought, and then answered, "Ok. How much is driven by subscription, and how much are newsstand sales?"

"In the magical UK, it's thirty-seventy in favour of the newsstands. I don't remember off the top of my head for elsewhere."

"Pandora, do you have the capacity to produce a hard-cover Graphic Novel?"

"We can…"

"I would like to close out the 'regular' series with a 'bang,' if we can. Whatever the 'grownups' were up to, those kids enjoyed reading about a hero for several years. It would be rude of me to 'take my ball and go home sobbing' just because I'm really a real person who doesn't want to battle with a comic book character when sending out his CV. How 'over the top' _is_ 'Hand-Cast Ronnie?"

Pandora said, "Other than battling 'bad-guys,' not that much, really. You don't live in a castle, you don't have 'over the top' friends or servants, other than being friends with and working with 'The Boy Who Lived' on some of your adventures, and you are famously _not rich._

"The 'fictional' you lives on what he makes, is thrifty without seeming a miser, and lives at home in the country where he helps with chores just like any other boy. The home looks _nothing_ like the Burrow, and it's only visited sparingly. 'Lady Red' and 'Lady Gold' always wear harlequin masks to 'hide' their identity, and the story is vague about who they are, and what if anything they are to you beyond 'sidekicks' and friends."

"Can we put out a hardcover Graphic Novel before Halloween?"

She thought, and answered, "Yes, I _think_ so…"

I said, "If we can, I'd like that. If Harry will agree, we can tell a version of what happened with him and me in October and November 1991. We can also do a memorial panel to the 'Losses' of the 'You-Know-Who' War, and do a couple of pages of 'real' 'Hand-Cast-Ronnie' and 'The Boy Who Lived' at Hogwarts as classmates and friends ONLY, thanking the readers and breaking the 'fourth wall down' completely."

Pandora thought for a moment, and answered, "That would be much more 'sporting' than announcing that your solicitors have obtained a 'cease and desist' writ. Let me see what I can work up, and if I _see_ any reason not to."

"Thanks, Pandora!" I answered. Noticing the rest of the audience asleep, and both tokkuri dry, I asked, "Can you help me get these two into their proper beds? Neville will need to get used to sleeping with his holster on, so unless you pinned him, we don't have to worry about that. I can get Harry's holster off, and I only remove mine out of courtesy to Harry."

Pandora answered, "We'll get Neville first. I helped pin him, so we can get the holsters off."

I opened doors and curtains, and pulled down blankets, as Pandora carried eleven-year-olds. Neville was straightforward, and a somewhat heavy sleeper. Harry wasn't quite so much, but he was tired enough to let himself be carried off to sleep in our bed. After getting him situated minus covers, I asked, "Pandora? Can you make it to a meeting this afternoon at half-five? Mum, Dad, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Headmaster Dumbledore, and we three boys will be there. You can come either as 'concerned neighbour' or as 'Masked Unspeakable,' which ever one will work?"

Pandora answered, "Croaker was on my case trying to get me to 'insert' myself into that meeting. Thanks for saving me a lot of bother. I'll be 'masked,' and you can say that you asked Croaker to send me."

I replied, "It works for me. Do I need to have Lucky Boy take you all the way to Devon, or can he drop you off at the train station in Hogsmeade?"

"The station will be fine. I'll see you later today, Ron," she answered as Lucky Boy jumped up into her arms. They disappeared, and Lucky Boy reappeared at the foot of the bed. I took Harry's glasses off, kissed him goodnight, and crawled over him. I _Nox'ed_ the lights, closed the curtains, and pulled the blankets up over us. I was instantly and soundly asleep.

§§§

I was also "soundly" woken up a little after half-seven; the sound being my three brothers hammering on the door to the flat. Oddly enough, though I _knew_ it was them, I couldn't hear anything beyond the pounding on the door. I rolled over a just-starting-to-stir Harry, and grabbed my wands on the way. I was wearing my holsters before I quickly passed the end of the bed, and was tying the cord of my bathrobe as I _Lumos'ed_ the lights on in the common room. I opened the door to the room wandlessly from several feet away, and greeted my ill-behaved but well-meaning brothers in a quiet but unhappy growl.

" _Shut up,_ come in, sit on the love seat, and _keep shutting up!_ " I greeted them. As my right hand was raised with the slight hint of St. Elmo's fire dancing along it, they actually did as I asked.

"Now, _quietly,_ what the hell are you doing here at half-seven pounding on the door?"

"No, Ronald. What are _you_ doing here? The Headmaster announced Harry and you as 'temporarily indisposed.' They've told us _nothing._ What were we _supposed_ to think? What _are_ we supposed to think? You're our _brother, Ronnie!_ Fred and George were so worried that they even told me about their 'trick map' and how it can find _anyone_ in the castle! We're _worried!_ Here you are, you're appearing to share a bed with _Harry Potter,_ in a 'guest flat' with _Neville Longbottom!_ " was Percy's contribution.

George and Fred added, "We really _were_ and _are_ worried with all the 'weird' stuff you get into, Ron." "And we even gave up the greatest secret to our pranking success to 'Perfect Prefect Percy' to get his help, too."

Harry just stumbled out of the bedroom, still half-asleep. I said to him, "Put on your robe over your nightshirt, and your holster if you haven't done so." He bared his right arm and showed me. While Percy and the Twins didn't know what to look for, I could see that he remembered.

I continued, "Good on you. After you get your robe on, wake Neville up. I'll introduce you around when you come out for Breakfast, which will be set up by the time we've taken care of using the loo."

I next called, "Tansy, Mipsy!"

Fortunately, both elves answered the call. "Mipsy and Tansy were called by Master Ron," Mipsy said.

I instructed them, "Between the two of you, and whoever else needs to work with you, I need a table for eight, three places on the long sides, and a place on each end, long ways. Harry will sit at the end closest to the loo. I will sit on the end closest to the door. Have an owl perch next to Harry's seat for his owl, and something taller than a chair but not quite table height by my seat for Lucky Boy.

"For beverages, send coffee, tea, pumpkin juice, orange juice, and water. For food, send a well-rounded assortment of the student fare, with an extra rasher of bacon next to Harry and an extra half-serving of kippers next to mine. Lucky Boy will need room for a bowl of kibble and a bowl of water.

"You can move the coffee table out of the way wherever until breakfast is done. I expect Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall as well. Thank you and thank you to whoever helps you."

Three blinks later, the table was set, as I had asked. Neville and Harry were just coming out of the loo, still more asleep than awake, but in their bathrobes and more or less ready to eat.

I said, "Harry, you'll be on the end by the loo. The perch is in case Hedwig comes to visit, since the table will be rather small. Neville, you will sit to Harry's right, with Percy sitting to yours. Fred, George, you will sit to Harry's left, leaving the two seats closest to mine on the end empty in case Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore, or both come to visit. I need to use the loo and wash up. I'll be out in just a minute. _No being rude or snoopy until I get back, Weasleys! Got it?_ "

Everyone took his seat as I went into the loo. As I relieved myself, Harry asked over the bond, " _What's going on, Old Man? Why are you angry at your brothers?"_

I answered while washing up, " _I'm angry because they were hammering on our door at half-seven shouting Merlin knows what! We'll also have to tell them about_ _us_ _, and I was NOT ready to do that yet."_

I entered the common room to find total silence and no consuming of foodstuffs. I said as I walked to my end of the table, "I love you like the brothers you are, and I'm happy that you love me too. But I'm not happy that you showed up when and how you did. It's only the second day of classes! While you would've been told what I'm about to tell you soon anyway, I wasn't ready!

"I'll tell you that Mum and Dad already know all about this, and that _they_ will tell the rest of the family that needs to know, _not you._ The rest of the school will be told whatever they're told by Headmaster Dumbledore, and you will _only ever repeat what he and I say!_ This is a _family secret_ , and about as big as those can get."

Standing by the 'head' of the table, I saw that Hedwig was perched next to Harry, who had given her a piece of bacon and was petting her. Lucky Boy was sitting on his 'stand' and watching. Neville, who was stuffed into the middle of all this, and was almost as worried as my three adored yet vexing siblings. I continued.

"I'll tell you by way of introduction. Harry, Neville? The prefect is my third oldest brother Percy Weasley. One of my twin brothers facing you is Fred Weasley, and the other one is George Weasley. You'll likely have to take their word for it, since only my younger sister Ginny can tell them apart reliably.

"Weasleys, the young man to Harry's right is Neville Longbottom, the Longbottom Heir and Harry's closest political ally, as well as a very close friend of Harry's and mine, and an expert on Soul Bonds. The gentleman at the end of the table is Harry James Potter. He is head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter, my liege-lord… and my soul-bound spouse and lover. Yes, I mean 'that' way, yes, we've already done 'that,' and no, you really _don't_ want the details. _Really._ This is a _family secret._ Since Harry and I _are_ magically married, that includes him, and because of the multi-generational alliances, the Longbottoms as well.

As I sat down to eat, Harry spoke in my mind, _"So 'that' went well. Angry much?"_

I replied, _"You'll get used to it. Smile at them and start eating. It's still too soon for me to 'make nice.'"_

Sometimes, Harry can be a little clueless as well. Either that or he was trying to 'lighten the mood.' He asked, "So, what's it like living with you guys, other than having the door broken down at half-seven when we were up real late the night before?"

One of the Twins decided to 'one-up' Harry and answered, "Not that bad. Which one of you is pregnant?"

Harry started choking on the bacon he was swallowing. Neville helped him.

I replied, "Guys don't _get_ pregnant, idjit! If we could, we'd _both_ be! And if _either_ of us was in the 'family way' at eleven, we would be hiding from Mum at the magic school near Hokkaido, Japan!"

Payback! Neville was out of the 'line of fire.' Percy, George, and Fred each got the other with a mouthful of pumpkin juice! Fortunately, Mipsy was protecting the food. The 'overspray' visibly vanished so that both the food and our confidence in _eating_ the food were spared. I continued as if nothing happened.

"Male to Male soul bonds are even rarer than male to female ones, though they are not unheard of. Ours was already full-tilt and unbreakable before we even _kissed_ for the first time. Neither one of us was looking to marry a bloke just as we were entering puberty, but it _happened,_ and we're _happy_ together. No 'taking the Mick' until he's used to the way we Weasleys get on together, either!

"For reasons that I won't share, it has been even tougher on Harry than on me, and it _has_ been tough on me. We also _don't_ want our 'private lives' made public. And, we _can't_ really be far apart for very long yet, and need to share the same bed to sleep comfortably, if at all. So, the Headmaster is _trying_ to find a way to make things work without trashing Harry's and my reputations, _or yours, or the rest of the family's!_ Have you figured out yet why I wasn't exactly happy to see my three favourite brothers who are attending Hogwarts with me this morning yet?"

Three sheepish Weasleys quietly started serving themselves, as one lover and his non-lover friend joined in. Lucky Boy started on _his_ breakfast. I served myself some food and started to eat. Percy decided to help out and was actually _helpful._

"Welcome to the family, Harry. Some rules in our house _will not be broken,_ such as 'no entering another's bedroom without invitation.' I'm going to guess that that will be 'upped' to 'no breaking the privacy charms,' too, since I don't think that they will expect the two of you to 'stop' for two and a half months each summer.

"Others aren't quite what you'd expect. Mum does _not_ allow outright bullying. If you actually do physical or magical damage fighting that requires a visit to St. Mungo's, or similar effort from her, _then_ you're in _real_ trouble. Also, _no bullying or fighting with Ginny._

"Otherwise, we brothers are expected to 'work it out and get on with it.' If you pick a fight with your older brother and lose, well, you've lost. If you pick a fight with your _younger_ brother and lose, well, _you've lost._ Ron doesn't pick fights, but he doesn't _lose_ them, either.

"Mum gave up on trying to follow the 'rules' about 'underage magic' _years ago,_ once she finally figured out that you can't take away a wand that _doesn't_ exist! While we weren't 'supposed' to use our wands before school and over the summer, Ron was quick enough with a hex if you argued with him that she only ever 'caught' one of us with our wands if we were _really_ being stupid!

"Also, from what I can guess, I'm not sure what summer will be like. See, Ron works part-time jobs, a _lot_ of them. The last year he had to quit most of them so he could pass his "Muggle NEWTs' along with Ginny, our youngest sibling and only sister.

"But, one of those jobs was apprenticing under Garrick Ollivander, and you just _don't_ quit that if you can avoid it. He is almost as crazy about wands as he is about his familiar. Neville and you might actually be carrying a wand that _he_ made, instead of Ollivander himself! He reconditions wands, too. Fred, George, and I are carrying 'heirloom wands' that he reconditioned, and the wand he uses most of the time, at least when he actually _uses_ one, is one he reconditioned _twice_ that was originally Grandfather Septimus's."

I added, "Harry's wand was made by Master Garrick in 1927. Neville's wand that he just got yesterday morning was the ninth one I made."

The knock at the door was followed immediately by Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore. I stood and greeted them, "This visit was _not_ my idea, they invited themselves. I've _just_ told them about Harry's and my situation with the soul bond, and how they aren't supposed to say anything to anyone about it." I looked the Headmaster in the eye and thought, "Only the soul bond. No time travel _ever_ , please?"

The Headmaster nodded at me in acknowledgement. He took one of the empty seats, and Professor McGonagall the other, which was on the left and closest to Lucky Boy. The Headmaster served himself a decently sized breakfast, where Professor McGonagall settled for toast with jam and tea.

Professor Dumbledore said, "Fortunately, other than language that will see you loosing five points each from Gryffindor, you said nothing that will cause any problems. I am touched by your concern for your brother, and will take no further action."

Professor McGonagall reluctantly added, "Nor will I."

Turning her attention to the three of us who were _supposed_ to be there, she stated, "Messrs Longbottom, Potter, and Ronald Weasley, your assignment for today will be to read the first two chapters in your Charms and Herbology texts. The charms covered in Professor Flitwick's class today will be the Wand Lighting and Wand Extinguishing Charms. If the three of you can all handle it, you may also go over some of the variants to the Wand Lighting Charm. Also, I have asked Miss Granger to share her notes with you once things are more or less settled out, and you start attending the regular classes."

With her instructions given, she finished her breakfast and left.

Professor Dumbledore said, "Unless your brother invites you up here, you must not come here again until we have decided on what the rest of the school is to be told, and where your brother and his spouse are to live. Secrecy is our greatest ally in getting things settled for them. There will also be one or more meetings in this room before things are settled. You will _not_ attempt to insert yourself or otherwise eavesdrop, unless we actually call you to attend. Am I clear?"

All three of my brothers answered, "Yes, Headmaster."

He added, "You may visit until your first class starts, provided you have your study materials with you, and you are to your first classes on time. If at all possible, you should make every effort to _not_ be seen leaving these rooms. I'll bid you all a pleasant day." He stood, having finished _his_ breakfast, and left as well.

Harry asked, "What are 'Muggle NEWTs?"

I answered, "The proper name is the GCSEs, or the General Certificate of Secondary Education. They're basically 'exit exams' from comprehensive, and you take them when you're about to leave comprehensive and either go to University or start working in the Muggle world. They're the Muggle equivalent to the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, or 'NEWTs.' Ginny, Luna, and I took them this spring, and all three of us got top grades. None of my older brothers has taken them.

" _I_ took them 'just in case' _you_ had ever thought of taking them, so I would have some idea on how to help you get ready for them. You won't use the test results themselves in the wizarding world at all. But you can't get by living as a Muggle in the Muggle world as an adult without them. Both Universities and Employers hiring you for your first job will want to see them.

"I will only continue with Master Garrick, and I haven't even _begun_ to figure _that one_ out! I won't maroon you all day in the Burrow, but I'm not sure how interested you would be in learning wand-crafting, and I haven't a clue if you would be any good at it or not. I hadn't realized that _I_ would be any good at it until I tried doing it."

Turning my attention to my brothers, I asked, "Do you have any questions that we can answer _very quickly_?" As I spoke, their book bags arrived in their laps.

I continued while I stood up, "It's half-nine now, classes start at nine, and the Headmaster already told all three of you that you couldn't skive-off for fear of attracting attention to Harry and me that we _just don't need._ "

Harry figured out what I was thinking. We stood side by side, but with _plenty_ of room to allow our brothers to leave unimpeded access to the door at whatever speed they chose to leave.

One of the Twins decided to be obstinate. He said, "I'm not so sure we're actually leaving right away, even though we have our book bags along. Seems that we have a Prefect along who for once will actually _cover_ for us, while covering for himself as well." Harry and I dropped our bathrobes to the floor.

Percy, getting the message, said, "Now _brothers,_ we shouldn't be intruding on a _honeymoon,_ should we? Is the coast clear for us to leave?" The other twin nodded, but none of them appeared to be leaving. Harry and I dropped our y-fronts visibly to our ankles, faced each other, and kissed.

The other twin added, "It's clear, and clear that we want to clear off _right now!"_ They quietly and _quickly_ let the room.

I asked, "Neville, do you _really_ need to read us the Herbology assignment?"

He answered, "Not really. A nap until half-one, a light lunch, and Charms starting at one o'clock sounds like a wonderful idea after the room is set back to rights, leaving the Orange Juice behind please?"

That quickly, and it was done. Harry and I pulled up our y-fronts while Neville watched, picked up our bath robes, and the three of us went back to bed.

§§§

Mipsy woke us up at 12:30. We had a heavier meal than a typical "lunch," since our meeting would only have appetizers and drinks. We decided that it would be easier to fight the "food coma" rather than go hungry later on.

After we finished eating, I said, "Neville, I'm sorry about last night. Harry and I are still 'out of sorts,' and will be for at least a few more days. In our at least temporary trade of 'Battle Mage,' you quickly learn that there is almost no such thing as coincidence. You get almost as paranoid as 'Mad-Eye Moody,' if you've heard of him, because they _really are out to get you._ But, I am truly sorry for making you feel bad. I had no excuse."

Neville smiled, and answered, "I forgive you, Ron, and thanks. I know I have trouble apologizing when I mess up, especially if I was only trying to do what was right.

"I also apologize for not making the meet-up correctly, and for imposing on Harry and you before that."

Harry said, "Your 'not-so-Great Uncle Algie' did Blackpool to you, all over again. You _don't_ owe Ron and me an apology, though we gratefully accept it anyway.

"And you really _didn't_ impose on us, either. You might have been asleep by then, but last night Pandora said that if you wanted to do 'last night' again, or more, that we could without any problems, providing it's _you_ wanting it, and not the bond messing with you; and that if we did anything 'again' or 'more,' that we do it before the weekend.

"Neville, you are my closest non-bonded friend. We're within a day of the same age. You will remain a kid for a while longer. But Ron, even though he now accepts that _he_ is just our age, isn't a kid anymore, and I'm quickly joining him.

"Ron and I are both each other's husbands and each other's wives. When _we_ do it, even if we're being 'playful,' it's not _playing._ But if it's the two of us, even with Ron joining in, it _is_ playing, even if we're kids playing with 'grown-up' toys.

"Sometimes, the closest of friends our age play 'Truth or Dare,' or 'Strip Poker,' or more than that. Not all do, and some who do weren't lucky getting friends and get hurt, or hurt each other. But for the ones who got good friends, it's just one more sign of trust. The kind of trust you don't talk about, but you just _know._

"I've always worn my heart on my sleeve, Neville. I _had to,_ to remember that _I still had one!_ You're also only my second friend that I remember, and the first friend that didn't cross three lifetimes to accidentally _marry_ me!

"So, it isn't _you_ imposing on Ron and me. It's _me_ imposing on Ron and you! If anyone owes an apology, it's _me._ "

Neville said, "Harry, I _do_ get it! Like you just said, you owe me no apology, but I gratefully accept it anyway.

"As for doing more, I'm kinda scared. Do Ron and you know that you had bum-sex in the Headmaster's Office? The two of you were 'out of it,' and it was _scary!_ You threw Ron on his back, put his calves on your shoulders… and later jumped on top of him… I was _frightened out of my mind!_ The Headmaster had to hit _both_ of your bums with a spell so you didn't tear each other up 'down there…"

Harry and I were shocked speechless. I regained my voice first.

"Neville, whatever that was, that is _not_ what we would do with you, and it's not what we do with each other, at least not the _scary and violent_ part. We honestly didn't know, and since we had already done it once _each,_ we just thought that we were still sore from the train and that the paracetamol had just worn off. And, it wasn't even 'satisfying.' Harry and I _blew_ each other while you were taking your shower that night! If what you'd seen had really been _us,_ it wouldn't have been scary, and we'd not have needed to do anything else. I'm guessing that it was just the bond trying to level itself out.

"As for what I need and want? I _need_ Harry to be happy for my happiness, and I _want_ you to be happy, too. If you want to 'play,' and don't mind playing with both Harry and me, I'm fine with it. If you decide you _don't_ want to, that's fine, too. If you're doing something 'fun,' but you don't like it, where's the fun in that?

"If you want to watch, to see what it looks like when two guys have sex _without_ being marionettes dancing on the strings of a runaway spell, we'll let you.

"But we don't need to decide anything this instant, and don't really have the time, anyway. Everyone else will be here at 4:30, and it's already after two. I'm still trying to decide if Harry and I should even try to get dressed, though _you_ will need to in any case.

"I also know that we can't start classes before next Monday. Professor Snape was friends with Harry's mum when they came to Hogwarts from Manchester. Harry's dad and godfather bullied Professor Snape, and at least partially caused Professor Snape and Harry's mum to end their friendship. For many other reasons I will tell the two of you about later, Professor Snape either really _hates_ Harry, or will have to _pretend_ to hate him. Harry won't be ready for that kind of abuse on Friday, and neither will I. If we go into that lab on Friday, people will be badly hurt.

"So, we will have tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday if you want to 'try' anything. If you want to watch, depending on how late our 'guests' linger, you can watch us after they're all gone. So, go ahead and get dressed, Neville. Harry and I will just put on our bathrobes again and call it good."

Neville replied, "I agree on the bond for sure. You guys are _definitely_ not ready for anything like you think will go on in Potions. As for 'messing around,' I'm still not so sure, but I'm not so scared anymore either."

He blushed as he quirked an eyebrow at Harry and me, and finished up with "As for the show after company leaves, I guess we'll _see."_ Harry swatted at Neville's arse as he giggled into his bedroom to change. Harry felt far more relaxed and happy through the bond.

Ten minutes later, we were all back in the common room. Neville was in his full school uniform, and Harry and I were in our bathrobes. We talked about Neville's greenhouses and plants, satisfying our 'requirement' to work on Herbology until our guests arrived.


	10. Chapter 10 Problems and Solutions

**Chapter 10, "Problems and Solutions," where Ron goes home…**

Our first visitors actually arrived at 4:00 PM. Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Algernon Croaker walked in to the common room after knocking. I decided to get 'academic' matters out of the way first.

I stood and greeted the group. "Good afternoon, Professors, and Croaker. Professor McGonagall, we only got through the Herbology assignment and that by way of guided discussion rather than reading the text itself. Between other issues that came up after yesterday's meeting adjourned, and our unexpected and early start to the morning this morning, we were not in any condition to actually _accomplish_ anything as either instructor or pupil.

"Both Neville and Harry know the _Nox,_ and basic _Lumos_ charms. We will hopefully have an early yet productive end to this afternoon's meeting, and perhaps even read the Charms text and cover the _Lumos_ variants.

"While Neville's guided discussion may not have matched the order of the text, I'm confident that all the highlights were covered while he discussed his _active_ greenhouses and their management.

Professor McGonagall was silent for a few seconds before answering. "At least you're honest, which is good. I _do_ and _will_ expect better from all three of you in future.

"Harry, give me a quick description of _Devil's Snare,_ whether the plant is dangerous or not, and any weakness one would need to deal with when cultivating it."

Harry paused, but did _not_ parse _my_ memories. "Based on what Neville said, and without picking Ron's brain, _Devil's Snare_ is a magical variant of kudzu, except that it is poisonous to almost all magical and Muggle life if eaten. It is a vine that is equally adept at spreading over the ground and over trees and buildings. The plant is dangerous in that it will attempt to strangle any living moving creature it comes in physical contact with. If a person is trapped, they _may_ be able to escape the plant by remaining perfectly still. Struggling against the plant actually causes it to exert an even greater force in its attack. One attacks Devil's Snare with either intense light or fire, either of which causes the plant to recoil away, and can kill it with sufficient exposure.

"While it is grown here at Hogwarts, it is a highly dangerous and legally restricted plant. Beyond a Ministry-issued license for dangerous plants, deliberate cultivation requires moonlight, and heavily filtered sunlight, preferably through watered Acromantula silk. The plant is used either for security to guard a building or stationary item such as a path, or for assassinations."

Professor McGonagall thought a moment, and decided, "Well stated, Mr. Potter. Five points to Gryffindor."

I said, "I discovered one additional complication Sunday night that I am just remembering now. Our bond has progressed to the point that Harry and I can use each other's eyesight, at least if we are maintaining physical contact. This is not the complication. The complication is that the prescription in Harry's glasses is not remotely correct, to the point that Harry gets moderate to intense headaches if he spends any time doing such detail work as reading and writing.

"He has _never_ seen an eye healer, either magical or Muggle. His glasses came out of a 'charity bin,' and were the only glasses that seemed to work the day he got them. So, along with everything else, he will need a prescription for eyeglasses, and one or more pairs of glasses ground to that prescription."

Croaker spoke for the first time since entering. "Mage Weasley, I will write a note. Are Mr. Potter's _frames_ acceptable?"

I answered, "While _Harry_ would have a better idea what style of eyeglasses suit his appearance, the ones he's wearing look fine, if they are comfortable for him, and have the right prescription fitted."

Croaker replied, "I have an optical healer on their way. They should arrive at the castle gate in moments. They will have a kit with them to create new lenses, install the lenses in Mr. Potter's existing frames, and issue a valid and correct prescription he can fill in Diagon Alley at his leisure. His prescription will also have the correct measurements to size the frames, so that Mr. Potter can owl-order the new glasses if he is unable to visit Diagon Alley.

"On a different subject, Mr. Potter, have you thought about joining the Department of Mysteries? If you have not decided yet, that is fine."

Harry answered, "I haven't decided yet. I have had so many other things on my mind that I have given it little thought. I will try to have an answer before the end of the week, though.

"By the way," Harry asked Croaker, "do you know _exactly_ when Ron's and my soul bond formed?"

He thought a moment, and answered, "Yes. Normally there are three stages when a soul bond is created. All of these stages are recorded.

"The first is when the bond is _formed._ This means that the soul bond is _there,_ but _can_ be broken if the two people are actually _not_ compatible, or if they recognize that the bond has formed, and that it is not how they wish to live. If the two people deliberately and willingly break the _formed_ bond, it cannot be recreated, even if the two people later marry each other.

"The second stage, which typically happens days, weeks, and sometimes _months_ later is when the bond is _sealed._ At that point, the bond cannot be broken without killing both people in the bond.

"The final point is when the bond is _consummated._ This process starts with the first willing sexual intercourse between the two bonded, peaks when the bond _itself_ asserts its presence through 'involuntary' sexual intercourse, levels off with the two bonded fully accepting each other as equal partners, and finally stabilizes with an additional act of sexual intercourse.

"Ron's and your bond was formed at 10:44:44 last Sunday morning. It was sealed at 10:55:55, not quite twelve _minutes_ later.

"I _should_ have been called in by the Watch Officer. He believed the entries were somehow spurious, and would be resolved during the normal course of business Monday. However, had the entries _been_ spurious, I should have been called in at once anyway.

"The bond started the consummation process at 2:28 pm on Sunday. This was also confirmed indirectly by signals interference on the magical railway line between London and Hogsmeade.

"While I understand that my sending Neville the way I did was not only an extra complication, and also unnecessary since he took the initiative himself, and I apologize for that to both Ron and you; I needed to send him to render what assistance he could. He is one of very few people, and the only one that is the same age as you, to have any actual understanding from experience of the process."

It was now 4:17. The knock at the door was the DOM Optical Healer with his kit, and being led by Pandora Lovegood.

The Optical Healer introduced himself first, to the extent that he would. "Mr. Potter, I am an Optical Healer from the Department of Mysteries. I will need about an hour of your time to examine your eyes, generate a prescription, and create new lenses for the frames you are currently wearing."

I asked, "Can you use the bedroom to your left?"

He answered, "I can do so if you have a house-elf to handle furniture as needed."

I called Tansy, told him to help Harry and the Optical Healer, and left them to it.

The rest of the guests arrived at 4:42. They were Mum, Dad, Sirius, and Remus.

To ease my own nerves, I decided to start the 'social hour' with introductions, since Harry was still in the middle of getting his glasses. With a loud whistle, I gained everyone's attention and spoke.

"Welcome, one and all. While I am pretty sure I am not in charge of this meeting, I am one of the two who is supposed to benefit from it, so I will take the lead for now. Would everyone please find a seat?" Amazingly enough everyone actually sat down.

I spoke again. "Thank you for taking your seats. Everyone here knows me, Harry Potter, and the two unique circumstances that tie us together, with the possible exception of the DOM Optical Healer, who is attending to Harry right now. Not everyone here necessarily knows everyone else. Pandora Lovegood, would you please stand?"

She stood, and I spoke again. "Pandora is here along with Algernon Croaker at my request. Once the meeting actually starts, their standing will become obvious.

"Until Harry has his new glasses, which should hopefully be in less than half an hour, we won't be able to get started. In the mean time, between Neville Longbottom's elf and the Hogwarts elves, at the Headmaster's direction, a cocktail, beverage, and snack service should be offered. Is this ok with you, Headmaster?"

He answered, "Yes, it is. We have a fair amount of business to try resolving this evening, some of which is being paced by the youngest person in attendance rather than the older ones. So, patience will be required of all of us."

He clapped his hand twice, and a side-table appeared with an assortment of beverages and foods. The assortment included various finger foods, a rather nice sushi assortment, and several tokkuri of sake.

I quietly entered the bedroom just as the Optical Healer was packing the last of his equipment. Hearing me behind him, he said, "Mage Weasley. I am aware of Mr. Potter's and your relationship, that a mission is involved, and that the relationship is a 'side-issue.' I have no _need to know_ anything else at this time. I gave Mr. Potter two business cards for an Optical Healer and optometrist shop on the Alley that does good and _trustworthy_ work. I wish the both of you a good day."

Harry had been reading some of my feelings as I walked towards the bedroom. As soon as the door closed, he removed his robe and nightshirt and started to dress. I followed suit as we talked.

Since Harry had demanded and received magical recognition as Head off the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter, and appointed me as his Chief Seneschal, both of our uniforms had changed. Our Gryffindor house badges were now on the right side of our robes instead of the left. On the left side of the robes, we now wore the Peverell-Potter badge of a Red Stag Rampant on a gold background. Harry's badge was topped with an Earl's Coronet, as that would be his equivalent rank under Muggle Peerage. Mine was topped by a crossed wand and quill in gold indicating that was Harry's Chief Seneschal. We both had silk waistcoats in Gryffindor colours instead of jumper-vests, and Harry had a pique-front shirt with a wing collar and bow tie in Gryffindor colours instead of a necktie.

"Ron, before we put on more than trousers and shirts, let me kiss you. I can't believe how great it is to actually see!"

He was still barefooted, but wearing his wing-collared shirt open to the sternum and his trousers. We shared a short but passionate kiss.

We put on the rest of our uniforms, except for his bow tie. We quickly decided to have Mipsy tie it, and we walked out together. He quickly let me look through his eyes. The prescription had done the trick, and everything was reasonably clear.

Harry told me through the bond, _"The magic eye doctor told me that I corrected to 20/20 near, and 20/15 far, with great depth perception and sensitivity to motion."_

I replied mentally, _"Great. One thing done. Hopefully we can accomplish more tonight."_

He squeezed my hand in silent agreement.

I gained the attention of everyone else and spoke. "Thanks to the good agency of Mr. Algernon Croaker, one of the smaller if still important issues has been resolved. Harry's glasses are actually helping his eyesight now instead of _hurting_ it. If the Headmaster would start things off, please? While he will conduct things, my personal preference would be to resolve the issues involving our public lives and images first, allowing for those who aren't family to leave and join their families in a more timely manner.

"Harry and I are in school uniform as modified for a Head of House and Chief Seneschal for courtesy to you, rather than our own circumstances. We are still sorting ourselves out, and will likely be doing so for at least the rest of this week. We are trying to resolve ourselves as quickly as possible, but some things will only go at their own pace and no faster. If you would allow us a moment to get some food and drink and take our seats before we start. Thanks."

Harry and I quickly got a plate of assorted sushi and a tokkuri of sake each. Tansy delivered two wingback chairs bracketing an end table in the corner with two tumblers of cold water. We sat down and started eating, Harry still using a fork, and we listened. The first news was certainly _not_ what we wished to hear.

Professor Dumbledore announced, "At 9:10 this morning, a concerned neighbour called the police in Little Whinging. That neighbour noticed the front door to be slightly ajar, with a horrible smell coming from within. The police entered to discover all three of the Dursleys had been tied up and beaten to death. Due to extra measures that I had set up, the Aurors were notified at 9:18 and were on the scene at 9:21.

"Preliminary investigation suggests that Fenrir Greyback was responsible for the attack. I checked for any presence of the wards at Number 4 Privet Drive, there were none to be found, nor were the ward stones even present.

"I returned to my office immediately, and found that the ward monitors actually indicated _improved_ performance in the wards. The indicated health of the wards was actually stronger than I had seen it since the casting. Acting on a hunch, based on the absence of the ward stones, I travelled to a different location. There, I found the stones emplaced in such a manner as to indicate that they had been at their current location for months – yet this was impossible.

"I had visited Petunia Dursley at half-nine Monday morning, to inform her that she and her family needed to relocate _at once,_ and that their expenses would be fully and promptly reimbursed. At that time, the wards were still up and functional, if not functioning at anything near their potential strength.

"The ward stones themselves are polished granite cubes of roughly three feet to a side. With this particular ward design, the ward stones bury themselves upon activation of the ward array, at a depth of roughly eighteen feet, phasing through most common Muggle paving materials, including steel rebar, concrete, and so on. While they could be moved individually prior to being set, once they were set and activated, they could only be moved from _inside,_ and as a unit. One individual could not move them. They could not be moved without dropping the wards. If the wards were dropped, only one person _might_ be able to re-establish them – me. I had done nothing to them.

"When I installed and activated the wards, which was actually _after_ Harry was taken in; I needed the assistance of Nicholas Flamel, Alastor Moody, and Rubeus Hagrid to set them. I Obliviated Hagrid at his insistence.

"Yet, the ward stones _were_ moved, the ward itself _never fell,_ and the wards are stronger than they have ever been. It is as if _magic itself_ moved the stones.

"Acting on another suspicion, I checked a country home and kennel just south of Woodmancote. Marjorie Dursley had been dead since roughly mid-day of Friday last according to both the Muggle Police and the Aurors. She and all of her dogs had been bludgeoned to death, again the likely work of Fenrir Greyback.

"Marjorie Dursley preceded her brother in death, and died without a valid will. Under Muggle law, her entire estate passed to her brother.

"Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley also died without _valid_ wills. With Harry Potter, being their only living heir, the entire fortune of the estates, valued at roughly £97,592,197 passes on to Mr. Potter.

"The reason I stressed _valid_ wills was because there was magical tampering with the all of the wills, including the casting of the Imperius Curse on both Dursley solicitors for the purpose of attempting to name a 'shell company' as the beneficiary. Fortunately, the DMLE prevented this from happening. Voldemort used this tactic to raise funds in the past.

"Due to the nature of the tampering involved, the probating of the wills has been expedited. Between the efforts of the DMLE Muggle Legal Section and the DOM Muggle Legal Services Section, the combined estates should officially pass to Mr. Potter's control through his Regent and Deputy Seneschal no later than Friday.

"The reason that the process will take that long is because with Mr. Potter being the spouse of a wand-crafter, the estate is entirely exempt from all taxation, magical and Muggle. While we are preserving the privacy of Messrs Potter and Weasley as much as possible, the Ministry cannot legally collect these taxes. The number of non-DOM solicitors involved is only three, and they have all consented to having their memories sealed until such time that the nature of Messrs Potter and Weasley's relationship should become public knowledge, should that ever occur.

"The four Dursleys will be buried a week from this coming Saturday. Harry will be expected to attend in suitable mourning clothes for a mid-ranking noble in the Muggle community.

Harry was in my lap almost as soon as Dumbledore said "Little Whinging." Worse, he was crying _silently._ This was _never_ a good sign with 'first-Harry,' and it didn't seem to be with this one, either.

Having a feeling that we were on the verge of a major setback, or at the least that Harry would need direct physical touch to get through the next few minutes, I called for Mipsy. I told her to undress us completely as unobtrusively as possible, and get us back into the four-armed robe again. She not only did this, but she also enlarged the robe enough that I could move my arms from outside of the robe to the inside, and back again. She had also put up a privacy screen between us and the rest of the room.

By the time Dumbledore had finished speaking, Harry was emotionally wiped out. He had cried silently in anguish, not even uttering a sound over the bond. I caressed him and held him to my chest, as he curled up sideways in my lap. He fell asleep, still shedding tears, with his head on my left shoulder.

I let the rest of the group know what was going on while I gave instructions. "Deputy Lupin, have you seen even a preliminary statement of accounts for the two Dursley Estates?"

Sensing my tone, he answered, "Not yet, Seneschal Weasley."

I continued, "There is likely a sizable portion of the estates tied up in stock or other securities for the Grunnings Drill Company LLC. We need to verify both the percentages of our exposure to them, and theirs to us. In any case, should my suspicions hold true, we will be entitled to see a copy of their succession plans, under "non-disclosure" terms.

"Ensure that you reassure the company that we will make no large public moves against them on the exchanges, and that our desire is for the company to continue to operate profitably and stably as it has done. Our concern, quietly and discretely expressed is only logical. One would have to assume that Vernon Dursley was at least somewhat competent as a Managing Director; else, the rest of the board would have had him sacked.

"There is also a possibility that the stock will fall anyway. If it does, we need a solid forecast on the long-term viability of the company. We may indeed have to buy _additional_ stock, and in such a way that others in the City _know_ we are doing so, to shore up our position and keep the company solvent. Between the Potter and Black financial staffs, do we have the talent and resources to do this?"

"Yes, we do." Remus answered.

I finished with him, saying, "Please let me know what other issues you encounter including the waving of estate taxes and so on.

"Also, we will need the houses cleaned once both the DMLE and the Muggle Police release them to us. While we will likely sell both properties, that is not a sure thing. Even selling them, we will not make a rush sale. We will ensure that we receive full price for both properties. If needs be, since we are covering up _wizarding_ criminal activity, I suggest that we might simply Obliviate the Muggles in both of the neighbourhoods involved. We could have them believe that al four Dursleys died in a bus crash in Brixton. Will you also handle the funeral arrangements?"

Remus answered, "Yes, I will. I have already started the arrangements. All four Dursleys have adjoining plots in the churchyard of St. James in Dursley. I've already hired the local funeral director to handle the arrangements once the bodies are released. I've seen the bodies. I'm assured that the Muggles cannot repair their appearance sufficiently to allow for an open-casket service.

"A memorial service will also be held in Little Whinging. Due to the slanderous conduct of the Dursleys while in life, we are having difficulty in both disabusing the slander, and not gratuitously bringing the ill repute to the Dursleys in death that they deserved in life. Since the Muggle police are in no particular hurry to release the bodies, this should be solvable prior to Lord Potter and Lord-Heir Longbottom if he should choose to attend, actually attending the service.

"Madam Malkins also has both their measurements and yours on file. Few people know, but they do make correct Muggle formal clothing of the type we will need to wear."

Neville added, "I will attend. Seneschal Lupin, we will trust that you take care of my attire along with Lord Potter and Chief Seneschal Weasley. Under the circumstances, my Gran will have no problem paying, unless it is a proper mission expense, in which case it should be invoiced to the DOM. Pandora?"

Pandora added, "The expenditure will be approved, and I will help write the expense report. You need to be with Lord Potter as part of the mission."

I asked, "Have we made progress on the public story?"

"None yet, though sadly the demise of the Dursleys does buy us some time for that." Dumbledore answered.

I asked, "Croaker, do you have anything we can act on or that we need to know this evening?"

He answered, "No. If I need to know anything, Pandora will inform me. I bid you all good evening." Having said that, Croaker left.

I had Mipsy quietly wipe Harry's face with a flannel and dry it without waking him. She also did my shoulder while she was at it. Being at least sufficiently decent, with Harry cried-out and dozing in my lap, I nodded at Mipsy and had her remove the screen.

I drank a saucer of sake to gather my thoughts. Part of me felt that Harry might benefit with leaving Hogwarts for a few days. But, I wasn't sure, and needed a few questions answered before I could even suggest one way or the other.

I asked Professor Dumbledore, "I'm guessing the blood-wards are now up over the Burrow. Am I correct?"

He replied, "Yes, you are. They are just inside of your family's wards."

I then asked, "Mum? What shape is my room in right now?"

She answered, "Pandora _saw_ that the replacing of your old bed should not be put off, so the bed has been changed for a larger one, completely made up. We can also put Neville up for a few days in Charlie's old room if he's needed."

I asked, "Pandora, have you seen anything that I should be aware of?"

She answered in a slightly far-away voice, "The country air should do you all some good."

I invited, "Neville, would you be interested in being our guest for a few days?"

He replied, "If it's no trouble, and if _I_ can leave the school, sure. May I bring Mipsy as well?"

Mum answered, "So long as she understands that it's _my_ kitchen, and that my kids don't get lazy from your elf doing all the work… If it's only for a couple of days, we'll find her 'extra' work so she feels appreciated."

Professor Dumbledore interjected, "Under the circumstances, I can allow Mr. Longbottom to accompany the two of you, that is, if _Harry_ wants to go."

Harry woke up at the mention of his name. "What?" he asked.

I said, "Harry, I thought you might want to go home to the Burrow with me for a couple of days or so, to see if we can get feeling better sooner."

"Ok, sure. How are we getting there?"

I said, "We'll probably be best off going by either Portkey, or with Fawkes, or with Lucky Boy if he's up to it. We'll all need to appear outside of the blood-wards.

"Assuming that Mum and Dad give their permission, we'll need to key Mr. Lupin into both the blood-wards and the Weasley wards, Mr. Black into the Weasley wards, and we'll probably have to key _you_ into the Weasley wards, since you probably have the capacity to become an Animagus."

Harry sat up and drank a saucer of sake. He said, "Thanks, Molly."

He asked silently, _"Sorry about loosing it, Old Man. Thanks for holding me. But why are we starkers in the four-armed robe again?"_

I answered, _"You were that far gone in grief, and we both needed the extra contact. Are you ready to get dressed in a few minutes so we can go home?"_

" _Home, Old Man?"_

" _Yeah, Brat! Home. Even without what happened today, you_ weren't _going back to the Dursleys."_

He turned around and kissed me, saying, "Thanks."

I said, "We'll need to move into our bedroom to get dressed in regular clothes. We'll be out in just a minute."

After giving Harry his glasses to put back on, we carefully stood up, making sure the bathrobe stayed closed. We walked into our bedroom and closed the door behind us, after _Lumosing_ the lights. With the lights on and the door closed, we set to getting dressed, at least as far as our y-fronts.

Harry asked, "Can I borrow a pair of socks? You didn't see mine, but they're not the best except for the black ones for the school uniforms."

Feeling his next question, I answered it, too. "You can borrow a pair of socks. We'll get things figured out with your regular clothes in a day or two. If nothing else, Madam Malkins can sell you Muggle or magical clothes by owl order since they have all your sizes. Did you want to borrow mine because you think they'd fit better, or because they're mine?"

He blushed and replied shyly, "Because they're yours?"

"Fair enough," I said, as I tossed him a pair of socks and a t-shirt.

We finished dressing out of my trunk, except for him claiming his trainers out of his. He was wearing the same outfit I wore to the station. I called for Mipsy.

She appeared, snapped her fingers twice, and everything was packed. She said, "Mipsy has also packed big sheet and extra Hogwarts towels for Master Ron and Master Harry, since Masters are coming back in a few days."

It took me a minute or two to realize that the towels were _not_ just for the loo. I blushed bright red. Harry read my thoughts and blushed too, but he also smiled.

He added in a whisper, "The jelly is in my trunk again." If anything, I blushed even worse.

Sighing deeply, I said, "While Mum and Dad probably won't say anything, we'll need to be _discrete._ It would be rude to 'rub their faces into it,' and _Ginny_ will also be home. So, bathrobe or more to go to the loo, and y-fronts too if we're 'pointy.' We can hug and kiss in front of them, but not make out."

We quickly got control of our complexions, and nodded to Mipsy. She popped into the front room with the two trunks and we followed.

Mum said, "While I'm not happy with what you paid for the trunk, Ron, it _was_ your money that bought it. Can you put a regular trunk inside it and make the whole thing shrink down?"

Stunned, I nodded to her.

As Harry and I put his trunk inside of mine, I told him, "I didn't want to show it off, but the trunk has a few 'extras,' since I'd planned on getting a lot of use out of it, rather than using it for Hogwarts and leaving it sit in an attic forever. It's also harder to make a friend on the train if your luggage weighs much less than theirs."

He thought, and answered, "I guess so. But we pack like _this_ from now on, _right?_ I still don't know how wizarding money works, and I don't want to run out before I can earn more. Besides, Hagrid was taking me around, and while I got good stuff, I didn't really get anything fancy."

I added, "The one thing you need to watch out for with space-enlarged and self-shrinking things is that if you nest too many of them together, they can explode on you. You may or may _not_ get hurt, but your stuff _always_ gets trashed along with your luggage."

Hedwig glided in through the owl port in the ceiling, and landed on Harry's outstretched arm. Harry said, "Hedwig, fly to the Burrow. We live there now." She gently nipped his ear and flew off.

I announced to the group, "We need to see Fred, George, and Percy up here. They know about the soul bond, but not the time stuff. They also have a map that shows almost the entire castle including occupants. I'll have them up fairly quick."

I drew my primary wand and quietly cast, " _Adfero Percy Weasley_ Percy, grab the twins and get up to where you had breakfast this morning _right now._ Have them look at the map to see why and to not make a scene _Adfero_."

My Patronus barked once and flew off. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Remus, being closest, opened it. Percy, George, and Fred stumbled in, looking somewhat worried.

Before anyone got worked up, I said, "Harry and I are going home with Mum and Dad. Neville is going with us, too. We _should_ be back before the weekend, but we _don't_ know for sure how long we'll be gone. Say nothing other than whatever Headmaster Dumbledore says. _Got it?"_

Percy, not seeing the 'Hand-Blaster,' which was everyone else's nickname for my secondary wand, started to get cocky. "Now _see here, Ron,_ you don't need…"

Nothing like seeing the wand of your nightmares show up in my off hand to make you re-think things. Eh, Percy?

With him calmed down, I added, "Harry's Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin were murdered. While the funeral isn't right away, Harry _isn't_ ready to deal with the rest of our classmates, and I'm not either. But he needs to see something beyond the inside of this room. A few days back home should help."

Fred asked, "How are things back home, Mum?"

George asked, "And how's Ginny?"

Mum answered, "Fine to both. We intended to tall you about Ron and…"

Percy, of all people, interrupted. "We're not upset about _that,_ Mum. But we were _so worried, especially me._ Ron vanished with the Headmaster Sunday night, and we didn't even _see_ him until this morning! We were scared that he had gotten _hurt_ again, and that he might not _make it_ this time! Then, the twins finally find them on a map in a room that wasn't labelled, lying on top of each other! We were _scared…"_

Mum hugged Percy, and he returned it. She said, "It was nice looking after your brother, anyway. Behave yourselves, and go back to whatever you were doing."

After Mum hugged Fred and George, they and Percy left.

Professor Dumbledore spoke, while holding a hoop that was about four feet in diameter. "I need all eight of you to grab this hoop. _Do not let go_ until I tell you to."

We grabbed the hoop Portkey, and the Headmaster activated it. We felt the 'hook' behind our navels, and saw the kaleidoscope of dim lights as we sailed through the dusk. We finally landed just outside of the drive to the Burrow.

Professor Dumbledore looked over our group and said, "For the blood-wards, I believe that only Remus needs to be keyed in. Arthur?"

Dad answered, "I'll need Sirius, Remus, Neville, and Harry. I'll do Sirius and Remus first, so you can get Remus set on the blood-wards."

Dad stood by the left gatepost as you faced the drive. He said, "By the time you actually get close enough to the ward line, you're already far enough onto my land that I can prosecute you either through the DMLE or the Muggles. 'No ward-testing allowed.' I can key people in or _out_ of the wards from this post, but I can also do it in other places. Also, it _isn't_ actually part of the wards, and if you attack it, it will magically 'break off.'"

He keyed in Remus first, followed by Sirius, using the 'house penknife,' which he had on him. He told Harry, "I'm not sure if you have the potential to become an Animagus or not. I'll have you walk straight down the centre of the lane. If you feel 'strange,' _stop,_ and come right back. The wards are 'graduated,' but they only go 'up' the more you try to get past them."

Harry did as Dad told him. He made it in almost a foot before turning back. He said, "That was _amazing!_ It didn't feel _bad,_ but I could _feel_ it."

Dad keyed Harry in, and had Neville try. Almost disappointingly, Neville made it through _both_ wards without any problems.

With everybody 'keyed in, we walked up the lane to the Burrow, with several _Lumos_ spells cast to lead the way. Harry and I were towards the back. We held hands as we walked up the lane. I wondered if I should carry Harry across the threshold or him me.

Feeling my question, Harry asked, "Does Ginny know about Ron and me?"

Dad answered, "She and Luna both do. They also both know about what happened to your Aunt and her family."

He asked, "Did you send an _Adfero_ or something?"

Dad replied, "Only for your Aunt, her family, and that you were coming home for a few days. We told them the rest this morning."

"Thank you, Arthur," he said in answer.

He said in my mind, _"I want you to carry me over the threshold. I'm nervous, though."_

I answered, _"So am I. But they already know what we've been_ doing _together, and probably think that we've been much 'busier' than we've really been. Worst case, Ginny and maybe Luna if she's staying over take the Mick for a minute or two. But I'll have still carried you over the threshold the first time you've entered our home. If there's a book on this stuff, I've yet to see it, so we'll just keep figuring it out as we go along."_

We got about fifteen feet from the back door. I squeezed his hand and told him in our minds, _"Stop here. Hug and kiss me, but no hands below the small of each other's backs."_

As we kissed, I told him, " _Lift your left foot. Your feet are killing you, and we don't normally wear shoes in the house. Sock too?"_

He thought back, _"Yeah. You too, though, after you get me! What do we do with them?"_

As he changed feet, I dropped the first trainer and sock to my left. I thought back, _"When I pick you up, put them in your lap, and let them set. You can quietly set them down when I put you down."_

Once we were both barefooted, I picked him up so he could wrap his right arm around his neck. He quickly got our trainers gathered into his lap, and I carried him into the house. I kissed him and set him down. He set our trainers down, we kissed again, and we held hands as we walked to the kitchen table. Everyone took a seat except for Headmaster Dumbledore.

He said, "I have nothing to add for right now, except to suggest reviewing your course books as and when you have the time, particularly Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Potter. Even with a soul bond, Harry, you still need to 'finish' learning the material yourself to get the most out of it.

"And Ronald," he added, "Sometimes the smallest of changes make the biggest of differences, Even if you feel as if you've seen the material before, it doesn't hurt to study it anew, perhaps to gain a new insight.

"With that, I'll bid you all a good evening." he finished as he walked out the back door, closing it behind him. Presumably, based on the flash I saw out the windows of the back door, he caught a ride back to the school with Fawkes.

Ginny and Luna had already been sitting at the table, and hadn't said a word until now. "Mum, what are we having for supper tonight?"

Pandora answered before a now-embarrassed Mum could, "We will be having a light supper, at least to start. The appetizers we had set out at Hogwarts looked quite satisfying, but were actually almost untouched. If I may, Neville?"

Neville nodded to her, and she called "Mipsy?"

The full spread from the side-table, minus the hard liquor was spread out on the table, complete with plates, forks, chopsticks, and so on. Harry's and my plates appeared in front of us, still in perfect condition apart from what we had already eaten. There were also enough "English style" appetizers on offer that those who didn't like sushi weren't offended. While Mum didn't look particularly happy with the choice of beverage Neville, Harry, and I were drinking, she held her peace.

We had just started eating (again) when the Floo flared. "Molly Weasley?" Augusta Longbottom's voice was unmistakable.

"Yes?" she answered.

"May I trouble you to come through for a minute, please?" the Matriarch asked.

Mum answered, "Sure, Madam Longbottom."

Neville's Gran came though, in "full-rig," but thankfully minus the hat she had made from her familiar. She looked at Neville, and the several steaming tokkuri.

After pausing a moment, she said, "You're here safe, Neville, and the rapid increase in your sake consumption is for hospitality. Good on you, and two errands down."

I said, "To any who are otherwise concerned, I now know about the comic books, and have personally met the author. The last story cycle will be released early and in full, as part of a hardcover 'graphic novel. We are trying for a release prior to Halloween. We will also include the incidents involving Harry Potter and me, in a manner both as reasonably accurate as circumstances allow, and suitably 'tamed' for the ages of the younger readers. We will also include a memorial listing of all the Honourable fallen from the Voldemort War, and close the book out with 'real-me' and 'real-Harry' at Hogwarts.

"While I don't want my CV competing with a comic book hero, it would be rather churlish of me to just have the series stopped. The author had also done me a personal favour by starting the series in such a way that less reputable people were blocked from doing so, and has also set up a trust fund for me into which they have paid on my behalf, which I understand was _not_ done with most of the money made off of Harry's fame."

Madam Longbottom answered, "Indeed, and well-said. Would you portray Frank and Alice's battle?"

"Please?" Neville interjected.

I looked into his eyes and saw that he actually _wanted_ that, and was not merely "kissing up" to his grandmother.

I replied, "Unless the author refuses, it will be done. Neville will also appear in the closing pages."

"Thank you," Madam Longbottom answered softly.

Gaining her more typical tone, she continued, "I found Alice's wand earlier today. I would like Neville to try it."

Neville was sitting to my left, as Harry was to my right. He stood and accepted the wand from Augusta. He waived it, and got a tepid shower of sparks.

I stated, "It looks like at least somewhat of a match. How did it feel, Neville?"

"I can feel the wand's acceptance, but it also feels _hurt,_ " he answered.

"May I examine the wand?" I asked.

Neville handed it to me handle-first.

I felt the wand. It was as Neville had said, though it wasn't nearly as badly damaged as Frank's old wand. I cast the shower-spark spell and got a tepid shower similar to Neville's. I cast _Lumos_ and _Nox_ in quick succession. The light was dim and the response slow.

Curious, I cast _Avis_. I got one single slightly moulting bird. But, it was a songbird and not a starling. It sang softly and sadly, landed on Neville's shoulder, and rubbed its head affectionately against his cheek before dispelling.

Harry and Neville asked in unison, "Can you bring it back?"

I answered Harry my mind, " _Brat? We will be alone together, cut off from the natural flow of time for_ six days, _with only a couple of hours' rest at most between each stint of three days, all of that being in a space the size of four bathtubs, with barely enough room for one person. And this will all happen between seven-thirty in the morning and half-five in the afternoon. Can you handle that?_

I felt him read my memory of reconditioning Zacharias Smith's wand. He asked, _"Do you have a spare set of your work clothes?"_

" _Yes,"_ I answered.

" _Then tell her we'll do it! As soon as we can, we'll make our excuses and go up to your room. I need you to make love with me, the way Neville says I did to you in the Headmaster's Office. Then I need to sleep naked in your arms. In the morning, we'll get dressed, eat, and take both wands to your Master Garrick's shop and get his help to do this. We will still have Thursday and Friday to see the sky, and perhaps this will help_ us _just as much as the two wands, and our friend who carries them."_

I turned back to Augusta Longbottom. I answered her unasked question. "Depending on what else is going on tomorrow, I will speak with Master Garrick first thing in the morning. With Harry's and my soul bond still not settled, he will be experiencing 'trade secrets' of Master Garrick's even earlier than I had anticipated.

"If it can be done, it _will_ be done. The Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom has stood beside the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter these past days without fail. My liege-lord stands with his friends.

"The Craft is every bit as much an Art as it is a Science, and wands are in their own way magically _alive._ Even what appears at first the healthiest of patients, attended by the greatest of healers can pass unexpectedly. But I have not 'lost' a wand yet, and I have no intention of starting with either this one, or Frank Longbottom's."

While we were talking, Harry had picked his pace up on eating. He finished the plate of sushi he had served himself, along with a second. He also sampled the other appetizers to the point that he was actually fairly full. He drank mostly water, but sipped the occasional saucer as well.

Augusta finally said, "I won't keep you any longer then. I wish you all a good night."

She left, which was the start of the great exodus.

Sirius asked, "How are you doing, Prongslet?"

Harry answered, "I'm doing better now, thanks. This is the first time I can remember feeling the wards, despite their being over Aunt Petunia's house since she took me in. By the way, why am I 'Prongslet?'"

"Your father, the Rat, and I became Animagi to keep Remus company when he transformed each month. We gave each other nicknames, since we weren't too much older than Ron and you when we did it. James was a stag Animagus, so his nickname was "Prongs." You are his son, so you were 'Prongslet.'"

"But Remus and I need to get going, so the lot of you can get to sleep. I'll see you around, Harry. Either tomorrow evening or Thursday."

Harry stood up and saw both Remus and Sirius out. I could feel his happiness as he hugged the two 'uncles' goodbye, and hear the cracks of apparition.

Pandora stood, and I walked her to the door. As we walked, I quietly asked, "Can we work the Longbottoms in?"

She shrugged and answered, "I'm not sure. Between Harry, Neville, and you, Neville's story was by far the bloodiest. It's still only the third of September, and we haven't announced the graphic novel itself, much a release date for it. I did your story several years ago and put it on a shelf, so it just needs to be 'dusted off.' Harry's will be a little bit trickier, since I will need to run it past Dumbledore as well.

 _"You_ are the one who keeps reminding the rest of us that the war is still on, so don't forget it yourself. I'm sure you figured out Luna's spending the night with Ginny. So don't be up too late yourself, especially if you're dragging Harry into the shop. Good night, Ron."

We hugged while standing outside. She took a few steps away and Apparated home.

Harry and I walked back inside. Neville had already fetched Frank's wand to go with Alice's.

I said, "Your grandmother has changed our plans for tomorrow completely. Harry and I will be going in to Ollivander's for at least part of the morning. If we can actually use everything we'll need, we'll be gone most of the day."

Neville, Mum, Dad, Ginny, and Luna were sat around the table. I said, "Good night, all."

Harry added, "Good night, everybody. Sorry I didn't 'visit' more."

Harry and I hugged and kissed around the table, getting a light-pink blush from Luna and a deep red one from Ginny for Harry. Neville only got hugs, but he didn't complain.

We headed upstairs to the door to my room. I opened the door just enough to see that it would open. Harry placed his right arm over the back of my neck, and I picked him up again. I pushed the door the rest of the way open, _Lumos'ed_ the lights, carried Harry into the room, and set him down sitting on the edge of the bed.

I closed the door, and saw that it now had a lock. I locked the door. The room now had a full size bed, and 'felt' smaller for it. But, we still had enough floor space for both of our trunks. The window was open, and Hedwig flew in just as Lucky Boy came in.

We got Harry's trunk out of mine, and set both of them up in the corner of the room, side-by-side. We got some owl treats out of Harry's trunk for Hedwig. We carried both of our familiars and Hedwig's food downstairs quickly, and set both Kneazle and owl up with food and water.

Errol, being somewhat more diurnal than average for a post-owl, woke up long enough to hoot once at Hedwig in greeting before going back to sleep. Finishing taking care of our familiars, we went back upstairs to our room.

The room was aired out enough, so I closed the window. Harry quietly called, "Mipsy?"

"Master Harry called for Mipsy?"

"Yes. Ron and I will need some stuff to clean ourselves off in a while so we can take our showers without being obvious about what we were doing when we go through."

Mipsy popped out, and returned in a moment with a pan. She said, "Use your wand for a water charm to rinse off. Use soap with the charm, too. You can banish the water. Mipsy will clean and return the pan in the morning."

Harry sat down on the bed. I went to the corner, and opened the first compartment of my trunk. I tossed Harry two washcloths and said, "We need to wash each other's feet over the pan. We'll use the washcloths to dry them with."

After we washed and dried each other's feet and banished the dirty water, we went back to our trunks. I got out my toothbrush, bathrobe, and fresh underwear for in the morning, two pairs of socks, and one of the really large towels for under Harry. He took out his bathrobe, fresh underwear for tomorrow, thanked me for the socks, and took out his hygiene stuff.

I told him, "Other than your toothbrush, you will probably only need deodorant, and you can use mine. We don't leave razors in the loo, but we don't need them yet, anyhow. Let me see your toothbrush for a sec?"

I marked his toothbrush and handed it back. Mine had long-since been marked. Setting that aside I got the tube of 'jelly' and we went around to the side of the bed. I moved the pan out of the way.

He asked, "Check the silencing charms?"

I did, and added a lot to them.

I said, "Short of an actual full scream, no one will hear. We only need to whisper if it feels sexier."

"I want you to make me holler when you do me, and I want to hear you moan as you ride me. Wanna do mouths first, too?"

"Yeah." I answered.

"Let me watch through your eyes as you strip me. Then strip for me and watch through mine?"

I nodded, and felt him 'join' me. I stripped him from top to bottom, and then I returned the favour by stripping for him. Being able to get more than arm's length was mind-blowing, as was Harry actually being able to _see…_

We were doing it to share intimacy and pleasure, not rush or run on all night. This was all for the better, since we were done with the whole works in under an hour! I was the less "messy" of the two of us, so I fetched my primary wand and rinsed off. I got him off of the bed without getting anything to run past the towel, and stood him in the tub after banishing the water that was in there. One more quick rinse later, and we were ready to take showers and get to bed.

As I got into my dirty y-fronts and robe, Harry asked "Mipsy? Is the bathroom open?"

She answered, "Yes, Master Harry."

He put his dirty y-fronts and robe on, and we went down to the loo. A quick but thorough shower and shampoo together later, followed by brushing our teeth and we were good.

I brushed my hair, and he told me how he wished his would actually brush. I brushed his hair for him, and other than being 'after-glow-play,' the time was totally wasted.

We put on our clean y-fronts and robes to walk up the flight of stairs back to the room. We got naked again, and got into the bed. I _Nox'ed_ the lights.

As we lay in each other's arms, he said, "I never wanted them dead, Ron. I only wanted..."

I kissed him, cutting him off. I answered, "You wanted more than they had the capacity to deliver. You wanted them to be _family,_ not merely relatives.

"I won't say that this was for the best. As poorly as they treated you, that still doesn't make things right. But, as sad as their end was, at least it's _over._

"I am actually sad only for Dudley. As unlikely as it might seem, he might actually have turned around his attitude and become a decent person. He was no older than us, after all."

We hugged and kissed once more, and were out like lights. It wasn't quite half-midnight.

§§§

-BANG!- -BANG!- -BANG!—

"Ronnie? Harry? It's five to seven. You need to get up!"

"Thanks, Mum, we're moving" I replied as I turned down the covers and sheet.

I rolled lightly over a grumbling Harry as I stood up on the floor and put on my holsters. Harry tried to pull the blankets back up, but a light wandless stinging hex to the hand changed his mind.

"What the fuck! _Old man…"_ he exclaimed.

I answered, "It's like this, Brat. Either you get out of bed and dressed so we can go into Ollivander's and fix Neville's parents' wands, or _you_ explain to Neville why we didn't."

With that kind of brilliant reasoning, Harry started to wake up. He got the y-fronts on the right end after I lofted them on top of his head, and he caught the t-shirt in mid-air. By two past the hour, we were dressed minus trainers, having checked our holsters for clearance with our sleeve cuffs, and were in the kitchen eating breakfast.

Neville walked in, fully dressed in his "gardening clothes," and sat down to eat.

"Good morning, Neville!" Harry and I say in unison.

Too sleepy still to joke around, we each settled for a drink of the coffee that Mipsy has brought along with the orange juice. The rest of the cooking was all Mum.

Mipsy looked longingly at the stack of dirty dishes. Ginny and Luna, who just walked in still in pyjamas and robes, looked longingly at the house-elf who was looking at the dirty dishes.

Neville set the wands by my plate as I finished the last of my food. I said "Thanks, Neville" to him, and took the wands.

Harry and stood up from the table. I grabbed our shoes from by the door. We put them on while sitting on the edge of the kitchen hearth.

" _So, how are we doing this, Old Man?"_

I answered, " _Once we get to the shop and get Master Garrick's permission, he and I will both re-evaluate both wands. The reconditioning potion looks like it will be equal parts essence of Murtlap and phoenix tears, mixed with just enough spring water to make it flow easily. We will make a_ lot _of it. Once we have our potions and so on ready, we will go into the box for three days._

" _After we come out of the box, we'll wait the minimum time to go again, while continuing to work on both wands. We'll go into the box a second time. Well come out again after spent six days of effort, waiting, and curing in less than eight hours, and have two like-new wands completed. At least one of those will be a great backup for Neville._

" _But it really_ is _on you. Neville'd be miffed if you blew him off so you could sleep in. But he doesn't want you_ hurting _yourself just to fix one or two wands that he won't be using anytime soon if ever._

 _"You know how you can remote-cast, but I can't? Dual-wielding and dual-casting are almost the same thing. You actually have to be able to maintain two separate streams of thought at the same time during battle,_ without _going crazy while you're at it! You also have to be able to cast your spells without anything more than deliberate desire, including_ exactly _where they hit,_ without _looking!_

 _"It's not an inherited bloodline like yours, and Neville_ might _be able to learn it someday. But now as an eleven-year-old? No. If he's able to use one or both, they will be 'back-up' wands._

" _It's just what it says on the tin. Bad guys capture you instead of killing you, and they take your wand. They_ think _they'll have their way, because most people can't cast anything worth talking about without a wand. But, if they didn't find your_ back-up _wand, you can still turn things around._

 _"Better training yet is to never get captured or disarmed in the first place, which I will stress a_ lot _with you blokes once we start training. But a back-up wand is just one more way to make sure that_ you _come home at the end of your shift, instead of the 'bad-guys.'"_

Back to being polite with my family and friends, I startle just a bit to look up at Mum.

"You need to pay better attention when the two of you talk, Ron. It's eighteen past, and you need to get going," she said.

Harry and I stood, hugged her, and kissed her on one cheek each. She said, "No carrying on like Fred and George, now! Where are you going, again?"

I answered, "We're going to Master Garrick's. If it looks like we'll end up putting in a full day, I'll send an _Adfero._ One thing I didn't think to ask about, but we need to do _desperately,_ is buy Harry some new regular clothes, _especially_ trainers and socks. Since we won't be able to go to Gringotts, and since I have more than enough money in my personal vault to cover it, I'll pay, at least for now. Harry's trust vault might not be set up to make 'signed-for' purchases, anyway.

"Either way, Harry and I will _not_ be seen by the general public, since everyone thinks that we are at Hogwarts, and they need to keep thinking that. If I don't put in a full day with Master Garrick, we need to be back by lunch, and we need to be back before supper otherwise. Are we good, Mum?"

"Yes, Ron. But just to make sure, I want to go first, since it's Harry's first time using the Floo."

She then told him, "Harry, the Floo is a wizarding cross between the fellytone and the moving way-walks the Muggles have…"

At Harry's confusion, I added "telephones and moving walkways."

Mum continued, " _Anyway,_ when you use the Floo to travel, you first throw some Floo Powder into the wizarding fireplace that you are leaving from, and _wait for the flames to turn green._ That is _very_ important. Anyway, when the flames turn green, or start green if the fireplace didn't already have a regular fire going, you _clearly_ say the name of the fireplace you are travelling to as you step into the green flames. The Floo system will do the rest, putting you out at the fireplace you asked for. I'm going to Floo-call first, then I'll Floo-travel first. You'll go next, Harry, with Ron bringing up the rear, ok?"

Harry answered, "Ok, Molly," and she Floo-called and then Floo-travelled to the shop.

Harry went next. Fortunately, unlike 'first-Harry,' he made it to Ollivander's in one go, though he almost bowled Mum over as he came out, from what I sensed while 'hitch-hiking' in his mind as he went. I finally was able to Floo to the shop, with the Longbottom wands in hand.

"Good morning, Master Garrick," I greeted.

"I've another secret to tell, and I also need to recondition the two wands I have with me."

Master Garrick looked at both Harry and me as Mum Floo'ed home. He said to us, "Just as I told you, young Harry. _Great things, indeed!_ "

I squeezed Harry's shoulders with my right arm as I extended the Longbottom wands towards Master Garrick handle-first.

"Harry will need some time to get used to you, Master Garrick.

"I'll need to use 'the box' twice to get these wands done, if I may? Also, as you can probably feel, Harry and I aren't exactly ready for only _one_ of us to use 'the box,' so he will have to go with me. I've explained it to him, and he understands that 'the box' isn't an amusement ride, and won't be fun. But, it's important to _both_ Harry and me to set these wands back to rights for Neville Longbottom. I'm sure you can imagine how much he has helped us, even _prior_ to buying my ninth wand Monday morning."

He paused in thought. Finally, he said, "You know you will need at least an hour between times in 'the box,' and preferably _two,_ right?"

I answered, "Yes, Master Garrick. If we may 'back-Floo' over to Madam Malkins during our wait, Harry and I both need new clothes. Harry especially does. We'll each need a 'standard bundle' from the Leakey for each run."

After another pause, Master Garrick said, "I suppose I've already gone along with this, so I will again. First, Harry, the secrets that you learn from Ron about my shop are _exactly that._ Second, if you've any interest especially, help Ron just as much as he asks. You may or may not love the Craft, but you can catch up to Ron far more easily than you think, should you actually have the native potential, and few do; so don't fret if you don't."

"Now Ron, please test both wands, with Frank Longbottom's first."

I did as I was told. Frank's wand gave me a trickle of sparks. I got the weakest _Lumos_ I'd ever seen short of a wand that was truly dead, and didn't even bother with _Avis_ again, since the wand was maybe a dozen spells from dying at best.

Alice's wand gave the same results as yesterday evening, with the exception that the songbird greeted first Harry, then me before dispelling.

Master Garrick decided, "These will probably be the most expensive reconditioned wands to pass the shop. However, we'll try this.

"Ron, the two wands will need the same potion at the same time. Equal parts Murtlap and phoenix tears, with just enough water to flow well into the wand. You will make an entire 'wand-drinking-pitcher,' and hope it will be enough.

"While you mix the potion, I'll show Harry how to clean the wands with lemon oil. We're lucky that there are no chips in the wands, particularly Frank's. They are brother wands, oddly enough, and share unicorn-tail cores from the same unicorn that provided the core to your Grandfather Septimus's wand. Though I didn't realize it when I sold them, the wands, like their wielders were a perfectly matched pair."

I mixed, while Master Garrick and Harry cleaned. Master Garrick cleaned Frank's, which he later told me had the slightest hint of steel wool on the surface. Both wands cleaned up surprisingly easily. By the time I had the drinking pitcher brim-full and ready, the wands were totally stripped to naked wood, and two packages of food and drink were on a side table next to the door to 'the box.'

"Ok, I'll explain to Harry what the two of you will do. The two of you will set the wands, food, and drinking pitcher in the antechamber of the box. You will enter the antechamber yourselves, and I will close the door. The lights will be red at first. When they turn green, enter the main room as quickly as you can without dropping anything, closing the door after you have everything with you. You will be in there for three days. A loud gong will sound thirty minutes prior to the end of the three days, and will sound again then the exit may finally be opened. Do not waste time leaving the chamber. The time you take before closing the door will only keep you waiting to start work beforehand. Do you have any questions, Harry?"

Harry shook his head 'no,' and we set everything up. Master Garrick closed the door on us, and turned the handle. About a minute later, the lights turned green, and we entered the room.

"Old man, take your shoes and socks off right now! My feet are killing me, and I don't want you accidentally stepping on my feet while wearing shoes."

Once barefoot, we got to work. When Harry told me to get barefooted with him, I thought at first he might be having 'ideas,' but was quite pleasantly surprised when he _didn't._

"I'm _eleven,_ Old Man, _not_ stupid! We'll stink badly enough after three days, and you _like_ working for Master Garrick. Even if he didn't fire us for 'doing it' in this 'box,' we'd stink the place up so bad that even _we_ couldn't use it again. And, I'm guessing that whatever the Ollivanders did to make this magic TARDIS-y thing, that Master Garrick would play merry hell of ever being able to replace it, so we'd be messing with _his_ livelihood as well.

"Now, tell me about wand-lore. This stuff actually sounds cool, though it's got its boring parts too. We'll be here _forever_ watching those wands soak up two _litres_ of magic syrup!"

If Harry hadn't been with me, that would have been the _longest_ three days of my life. It took almost _all three days,_ but the wands absorbed almost the entire potion, leaving just a centimetre in the bottom of the pitcher. With _that_ much potion down, we had no hopes of finishing the wands that Wednesday at all. We couldn't start refinishing without a full day at least for the wands to 'digest' the potion, and even with the properties of 'the box,' the potions would 'digest' more slowly than in natural time. So, it would really be a 'two day' job in real time.

While we waited, I taught Harry how to cast the "wand-crafter's three" at wand-crafter power, how to evaluate the finish of a wand, and about wand-lore in general. He was a quick learner, even without being able to browse my thoughts at random as well.

I had him polish both of my wands for practice, and we gave his wand a deep cleaning, very light coat of linseed oil, and once it was dry a fine-polishing. We also talked about life, each other, growing up in the Muggle and magical worlds, whatever happened to cross our minds. We laughed, cried, hugged each other, and watched the two Longbottom wands slowly drink their 'healing potion' together, and enjoyed _being_ together.

Finally, though, the gong went off, telling us that we were a half-hour from "freedom," or at least daylight. Harry surprised me with what he said as we put on our socks and trainers.

"Ron, may we try having sex with Neville this afternoon?"

I thought about it, and said, "If he wants to, I guess so. But why _now?"_

He paused, then answered, "Because I feel that he _really_ wants to do it with us, I'm kinda curious about us trying it with him too, and I also feel that if we don't do it this afternoon that it will _never_ happen. I don't know why I feel that, but I _do,_ and I also feel that if it never happens, it _won't_ be a 'good thing.'

"We won't be able to handle another round of 'the box' today, and even if we _did,_ the wands _still_ wouldn't be done until mid-day tomorrow. I _know_ that Neville will say 'yes,' we just have to be there with him and find a place where we won't get caught."

I answered, "Sure, Brat, we'll try this. We can't use our bedroom or his, since Mum would figure out what was going on, and would freak-out for sure. There's a small clearing almost on the far end of our land that I can throw up privacy charms on just fine. Ginny and Luna will be at Pandora's all day today doing 'whatever,' and no one else will be around.

"You know that every real smile I put on your face puts a hundred on my heart, right? Well, I guess today that I'm _greedy_ enough to _share._ "

He answered, "Me too, Old Man!" and kissed me passionately.

And, quickly, too. We'd spent fifteen minutes putting on our socks and trainers while talking about that, and still had to gather the rest of the stuff we brought in with us! That accomplished, we were both ready to step out of 'the box' when the gong sounded. We removed everything we took in, Master Garrick hit the bed with the cleaning and making charms, and we were done in there for the day.

Master Garrick asked, "Have you checked the wands, yet?"

I answered, "I didn't want to check them until they had had at least a minute or two back in real time. There was only a centimetre of potion in the bottom of the pitcher. So, they drank two litres or potion between the two of them. That's a _lot_ of potion. So, we won't be using the box today even if both wands are 'coming around.'"

Five minutes later, Master Garrick took each wand in turn, and _felt_ it. He said, "Ron, take Frank's wand first, and _feel_ it. Don't try to channel any magic. Harry, 'ride along' with Ron's senses since you seem to be able to do that."

I did as Master Garrick asked, with Harry 'riding along.' I could barely _feel_ it, but it _was_ there – Frank Longbottom's wand was "coming around!" I set the wand back on the repair stand on the bench before I accidentally tried to channel any magic through it. The look on Harry's face was of pure astonishment.

He exclaimed, "I could _feel_ it, Master Garrick! The wand is _alive!"_

He answered Harry, "Just so, Harry. If you decide to apprentice under me with your bond-mate, you may – but there _is_ a price!

"You will have to give me your word – but _only_ your word, that you will do your best every day, and that you will make at least one _honest_ attempt to take and pass your journeyman's examination. I do not require magical oaths from my apprentices, because if you need _magic_ to make you keep your word to me, then I will never trust you enough to teach you so much as how to tie your trainers, much less anything useful in the Craft."

Harry faced Master Garrick, and bowed deeply from the waist. He answered, "I am Harry James Potter. I am many things, but I am now also your apprentice in the Craft. I give my word without magic, _or any doubt,_ that I will do my best every day under your charge to learn and work the Craft. I place myself in your care, Master Garrick."

Both Master Garrick and I were surprised. Master Garrick was stunned as well. But he recovered quickly enough, and replied, "Well-said, _Apprentice Potter._ "

He then asked me, "Are the two of you going shopping, now?"

I answered, "Not today, Master Garrick. Harry _appreciates_ the box a little more now that he has worked in it. We will go home, eat an early lunch, and spend the rest of the day out-of-doors until dark.

"If we may, we'll return to the shop tomorrow at half-eight, and pass through to Madam Malkins then. We will buy the clothes we need, and return here as quickly as we finish.

"The earliest I'll want to go into the box with the Longbottom wands tomorrow will be half-eleven. We can show Harry the shop and teach him with what time there is before we go in to the box to finish-up."

"Did you promise the wands by a time and date-certain?" Master Garrick asked.

I answered, "I only promised my best possible effort. Like the three of us here, they only hope for, but don't completely expect the return of the wands in usable condition."

"Just so, Ron and Harry. While Frank Longbottom's wand is the worse of the two, and while it _feels_ like it's coming around _now,_ we won't know with any certainty until tomorrow that they have turned the corner in a favourable direction. We won't know until _after_ you've come out of the box if we've succeeded.

"It's now half-ten. The day is as young as you are, with an unexpected break from classes to boot. So, go home, have fun, and I'll see you tomorrow."

We Floo'ed home, Harry going first. Other than barrelling out of the kitchen Floo in the Burrow, he did fine. I followed him, to find Mum working in the kitchen on a stew for supper.

"Why are the two of you home _early?_ And, where's your shopping?" she asked.

I answered, "Mum, the wands are coming along, but they needed even more work than I thought. That's good as well as bad, though. They have to 'rest' for a full day before we can finish them up.

"Harry and I decided to come home and play outside with Neville in the sun, since part of what might have been holding us back was being just in those rooms. Plus, one use of the 'trade secret' was enough for both of us today. Neville?"

Neville was at the kitchen table, drinking a mug of tea and reading his potions text. He said, "That sounds good to me, too." He was wearing his "gardening clothes," which were basically clean but old Muggle play-clothes.

I said, "Harry and I will need to shower and change clothes, then the three of us will want an early lunch. If we may, and Neville wants, Mum, I wanted to stay out until dark. May we?"

She said, "I suppose so. But stay on the property. Muggle School is in session, and Hogwarts is as well. While the answers to any questions asked are perfectly fine, I'd rather not be obliged to answer them in the first place. Now get cleaned up and changed, while I make some sandwiches for your lunch."

Harry and I rotated through showering, shampooing, and stuff. Mipsy had already cleaned our clothes from yesterday, so that's what we put on. Since the pockets on Harry's trousers were deeper, and since his (my) trousers were looser, he was 'elected' to carry the 'jelly' for our afternoon, should it be needed. He also made sure that I unlocked my trunk to Mipsy enough that she could fetch a pain-relief potion (or two or three) if we needed them. I still had my doubts, but Harry has always been full of surprises.

Just under an hour later saw us enter the clearing I'd told Harry about. It was more or less round, and about twenty feet across. The brush surrounded it well enough that you couldn't see into it from the outside or sneak up on it. There were wild grasses covering the field that were flattened, especially in the middle.

As we entered, I wandlessly cast privacy and repelling charms around the perimeter of the clearing, and the three of us sat down in the middle. Harry was the one to speak.

"So, Nev? What do you think?"

Neville looked around, and said, "Cool. Just like a play fort!"

"Neville, did you still want to _do_ anything?"

Neville blushed, but smiled. He answered, "Kinda, but I'm still scared it'll hurt." in a quiet, shy voice.

Harry said, "It will hurt, but it won't _really hurt,_ if you get me? I also had Ron unlock his trunk so we can take pain-relief potions when we're completely done, if you want, too.

"But using one of our special skills at Ollivanders has moved things up for Ron and me from what Pandora said. If you want to _do it_ with us at all, it has to be right now!

"If you don't want to, that's cool. If you _do_ want to, provided _you_ have a good time with us and don't get mad at us later on, that's cool, too. But if we _do_ 'do it,' we have to 'do it' now. Whadd'ya say?"

Neville sat there quietly for a moment. He didn't _say_ anything at first. He _did_ lean over, close his eyes, and kiss Harry on the mouth. He said, "Ok, we'll do it. Just don't hurt me too bad?"

Harry answered, "We'll start off gentle enough. We're also going to be 'playful and teasing,' rather than being romantic, but without being mean, either. Also, I don't take my glasses off for sex, only for showering and sleeping. My eyesight is rubbish without them, and I like to see clearly… and, you can holler as loud as you want. Unless you _really want_ to be heard, no one but us will hear.

"Now, stand up and back away from us, so we can see you from top to bottom."

Once he had, Harry said, "Now, strip as quick as you can without magic, keeping just your trainers and socks on."

"Holsters too?" he asked while stripping. He had to sit down as he got his trousers off over his trainers.

Harry said, "Yes. Ron's good enough with wandless magic if we need any. Fold your clothes, and give them to me."

He did, with his holsters, wand, and y-fronts on top. Harry unbuttoned his right sleeve, removed his holster and wand from underneath it, and added his holster to the stack.

"Ron, do just like I did with both of yours?" Harry asked.

I added my holsters to the stack. He set the stack of clothes out of the way, but not particularly close to the edge of the clearing.

He said, "Now, Neville, take Ron's and my shirts and t-shirts off in turn."

Neville did, and Harry lay down on his back, having me join him. "Trousers next, Neville, but leave the y-fronts. He did, after Harry took the 'jelly' and two or three washcloths from his pockets.

Harry and I stood up. Harry said, "Now, kneel in front of each of us. Pull our y-fronts down to our ankles, and help us step out of them. Then kiss 'us' on the end of it, then on the mouth. Me first."

Neville was blushing to his navel, but did _exactly_ what he was asked.

Harry said, "Now get on your hand and knees facing away from us. We're going to be doing mouths, bums, _everything._ You will be tasting both our semen and yours, and just a little poo and 'jelly,' too. But the _thought_ of it is loads worse than the taste itself. You won't go running out to get a half-pint for dipping crisps, but it's not really all that bad."

Neville kissed us again, and then got down on his hands and knees. He said, "Ron and you do it, so _I_ want to try it, too!"

Harry said, "Now, look straight ahead and down slightly, so you just see the ground in front of you. _Don't turn around unless we say!"_

He then thought to me, _"Your left trainer and sock, Old Man, and throw it to land in front of Neville when I do."_

We did it, and Neville almost turned around before Harry said, "No peeking!"

We did our other trainers as we did the first, and kneeled behind Neville's bum. Harry thought to me, _"We remove the trainer, stick the sock in it, and throw it to the rear so it makes noise, but not so hard that it leaves the clearing. We'll find them when we're cleaned up and getting dressed._

" _After I talk out loud to Neville, we'll start licking. Do you want his feet, or his arse?"_

" _Arse, please?"_ I answered.

We removed Neville's trainers and socks, and he shivered in nerves and anticipation as he heard them crash in the grass a few feet away.

With a nod to me, Harry said sexily, "We _like_ what we see. Now, we'll _lick what we like!"_

Neville groaned in ecstasy as we started…

§§§

It was almost four o'clock before we finished _doing_ it. We had each had both of the other two climax at least once in our mouths and bums both. We were careful to not really get in each other's hair, literally, since I explained that if we came in from 'playing' smelling freshly shampooed that it would be an even bigger hint to Mum that we had done what we did than if we came in smelling of sex.

I knocked down the charms enough for Mipsy to hear us. I had her bring the three pain-relief potions, soap, towels, and the "shower pan." We laid out a clean towel to step out on, and took turns getting cleaned up and dressed.

We had just finished, and Mipsy had just left to return all the stuff including the 'jelly' to the Burrow. Neville suddenly sat hard on the ground (which he probably felt even with the pain-relief potion after we had all got done with each other) and started to cry, sobbing, "She hates me!"

I hadn't a clue how to handle him. Fortunately, Harry _did._ He grasped Neville's face by the cheeks, and knelt between Neville's legs, looking him straight in the eye. Neville was much less surprised than I was with what Harry said.

"Hermione? Hermione! I know you're still there! _Please listen? Please?"_ Harry's eyes started to glisten with tears, before he sighed in relief, still holding Neville by the face.

"First, Ron, I, and _especially_ Neville are sorry for hurting you and making you mad. But, I could feel through _my_ bond with Ron that this was the _only_ way to get Neville and you to see _yours!_

"Ron and I haven't shown up since the Welcoming Feast Sunday night because we had formed a male to male _soul bond_ the minute we met at King's Cross, _before we were even on the platform!_ When Neville and you first met me on the train, I _did_ have a headache, and an _everything else_ ache, because I _needed_ to have sex with Ron! I was more 'myself' when you came by to tell us to change into uniform because _we had already finished our first time together!_

"Ron's and my bond is kinda crazy even for male to male soul bonds. The Headmaster had to 'hide us,' because we were not able to let go of each other without hurting _really bad,_ and we had to be _starkers, too!_ Neville's Mum and Dad had a male to female bond like the one you have with Neville right now, so he was able to help us. And, I was able to sense the potential for the bond between the two of you, but the _only_ way I could figure out how to actually open it for the two of you was to let Neville 'experiment' with us like you saw.

"While more guys don't 'experiment' than do, far more guys _do_ try some of the stuff we did than will ever admit to it. And, even in the wizarding world, your husband is much more likely to _not_ be a virgin than you are! In the Muggle world, forget it!

"Neville helped Ron and me when _no one else_ could. He was also my very first friend, from when we were babies together, and my closest friend after Ron, _along with you, 'big sister.'_

"When I was growing up, I fantasized about having a slightly older sister who loved me, instead of a boy cousin who hated my guts and loved to bully and hurt me. When I met you on the train the first time, I _knew_ that it was _you!_

"So, I _owed_ both Neville and you a lifetime's happiness if I had any way to deliver it. This _was_ the only way I knew.

"Yes, Hermione, this is real! But, it's still _fragile_ for you as well. Right now, you _could_ break this bond between Neville and you. But _please don't! If you do, magic will_ never _allow you to have anything truly precious ever again!_

"If you want to _keep_ the bond, forgive Neville, apologize to Neville, ask him into your heart, and ask him to have you in his. He will do the same to you. Then for as long as you can keep the bond open, in the back of your mind if not the front, _talk_ with Neville and _listen_ to him. With doing that, the bond will strengthen and will quickly support itself, and both of you with it."

He kept his hold and gaze, though he did blush as if he was eavesdropping on someone else's most private conversation.

He then said, "Thank you, Hermione. Just to prove that this isn't a day-nightmare that turned back to a daydream, I will tell you where I'm at, and why. I am at "The Burrow," which is what Ron's family call their home, and since I'm part of the family now, my home as well.

"My aunt, uncle, cousin, and uncle's sister were murdered. That pushed me mentally into a really dark place, and I hadn't been handling things that well before that. So Ron thought we should go home for a couple of days to let our bond get better, and so the Headmaster could more easily have Ron and me share married quarters without telling the whole world that two eleven year old boys are in a lifetime-long sexual relationship. Our bond is in great shape now, I've truly never felt better even though I'm still slightly guilty over my aunt and her family being murdered, even knowing that it wasn't my fault.

"It's _my_ hands you feel on your cheeks, big sister. I can't let go and keep talking to you, but Neville will stroke your cheek by stroking his cheek without knocking my hand loose."

Neville stroked his right cheek around where Harry still held it.

Harry said, "If you call for Tansy the house-elf, he can tell you about what I went through since Sunday night. A house elf is a magical being that lives on doing work for wizards and witches. It sounds like slavery at first, but it really isn't. It's like there was something to eat and drink in addition to food and water, and that the house-elves only get that from the satisfaction they get from doing work for witches and wizards. Anyway, call Tansy, tell him that Masters Harry, Ron, and Neville asked him to speak to you too, and ask him how things went for us. If you ask Percy or the twins, be _real careful_ how you do it! Ron and I are a 'family secret,' and the Weasleys take those more seriously than you can imagine.

"The kiss you feel on your cheek will be your bratty little brother kissing you, and stepping out of your bond. We'll see each other at school in just a few days, I hope. 'Bye, Hermione!"

Harry kissed Neville on the cheek, and let him go. Neville sagged as if he were a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Harry asked me, "Ron, can you help us clean our faces again, so we don't look like we were crying?" Then, I think we need to get back to the Burrow before Molly gets mad."

§§§

Mum wasn't _mad_ yet, but with another ten minutes, she would have been. As the three of us boys were toeing off our trainers inside the door, Madam Longbottom Floo-called and Floo'ed in.

"Neville, you look like you had a great time," she said.

Neville took a moment, before he answered, "Sorry, Gran! But yes, we had a great time just playing. Oddly enough, that and the work Ron and Harry did on the wands has helped their bond stabilize further."

I added in, "Good evening, Lady Longbottom. I can't say for sure if either reconditioning will be successful, but neither one has failed, so that is a good sign.

"Partly because of the bond, and partly because he has some actual talent and interest in the Craft, Harry is now apprenticing alongside me with Master Garrick. As unimaginable as it may be, some of the skills unique to Master Garrick's teaching line are every bit as magically, physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting as if one were to work for three days straight! I am doing all of the work on the wands, with Master Garrick's supervision and blessing. I have yet to mess up a wand in the four and a half years I've apprenticed under Master Garrick, so if the wands are saveable, they will be saved."

"Do Harry and you still need Neville's help, Ron?" she asked, hesitating on how exactly to address me at the moment.

"We couldn't possibly spare him, Madam Longbottom. We are helping each other with our studies, as well as Neville helping us with the bond. The Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter once again thanks their closest and truest ally in this continuing hour of need."

"Well stated, Chief Seneschal. Are you doing well, Neville?" was her answer.

Neville said, "Never better, Gran, and I hope I can stay and help for a few more days at least, as long as I'm needed. Ron taught us the _Aguamenti_ charm this afternoon, too!"

He drew his wand perfectly, incanted _"Aguamenti"_ with confidence, and put a three second cast of water dead centre in the kitchen sink without spilling a drop. Madam Longbottom actually smiled!

"Just so, Neville. And thank you again, Molly, for allowing my grandson to visit with yours. I have other engagements I am unable to break, so I will step out after bidding you a good evening."

"You're welcome, Madam Longbottom" Mum answered as Madam Longbottom left through the back door, and Apparated away with a quiet 'crack.'

The rest of the evening was wonderfully "ordinary," or at least as ordinary as my life was to get. Neville was rather distracted for the rest of the evening, yet still enjoyed two large bowls of the stew, and was passable company at table. Harry had two, and I had three.

Harry and I did the dishes quickly, Harry learning how to oversee the magical more-or-less washing up that happened when you didn't own a house-elf.

Afterwards, Harry and I each had a tokkuri of sake along with Neville, who was _still_ distracted. Though I already had all of the pieces, it didn't quite click.

Harry asked in my mind, _"Did first Hermione ever stop for more than a breath when talking about something she was excited about?"_

I answered aloud, "I guess not, Harry. Neville, Harry and I are going to bed, now. Good night." He nodded in acknowledgement, but otherwise ignored us, not that I blamed him.

Other than being earlier, and me being on the bottom, this night went a lot like the night before. After _that_ and showering, we lay together nude beneath the blankets, holding each other. As Harry and I held each other beneath the blankets, he asked me, "Did I really do them a favour making sure the bond opened, took, and stuck?"

"Of course you did, Harry. Besides, I couldn't imagine _any_ Hermione _sharing,_ and I'm starting to 'crush' on Luna now, just like you're starting to 'crush' on Ginny."

Even in the moonlight, I could see his blush as easily as I felt my own. He finally answered, "I'll be nice to her and behave, Old Man."

I replied, "Me too with Luna. 'Night, Brat."

"'Night, Old Man."

We kissed once more and were instantly asleep. We had no idea that this would be the last night ever where it would just be the two of us alone.


	11. Chapter 11 Souls, Bonds, and Wands

**Last edit 8 Nov 2017**

 **Chapter 11, "Souls, Bonds, and Wands" where Ron experiences more…**

Looking back, there _were_ hints that things would get massively "pear-shaped" again, though they _did_ turn out well, in the end.

First, some time between when Dad went in to work (despite what was going on at the Burrow, he was having to go in early at 6:00 AM instead of 8:00 that week) and 6:15, Luna and Ginny decided that they would have breakfast early at the Burrow, and woke Harry and me up.

Harry, for once, got up right away, before I was even completely awake. He even put on his holster along with his glasses. However, he had spent far more of his life sleeping in _something_ instead of _nothing,_ so he was wearing exactly what he had been wearing, which is to say nothing, plus holster, wand, and glasses when he opened the door.

Luna and Ginny must have been counting on this, judging by the smiles on their faces when a still more asleep than awake Harry opened the door. Judging by what I felt through the bond, they hadn't asked Harry first.

I summoned my bathrobe wandlessly to preserve at least _my_ modesty as I rolled out of the bed. Harry had backed up, slightly frightened, very embarrassed, and quite "pointy." I wandlessly closed the door most of the way, since they had their feet in the way and I didn't want to hurt them for "peeking."

I said, "This wasn't very nice, girls."

They answered by summoning our socks from where we had laid them out. Luna said in return, "You'll get your socks back after visiting with us at breakfast. Also, no fair giving Ginny a show and not me."

Knowing Luna, and that she wouldn't "let it go," I motioned Harry out of the line of sight, dropped my robe, and opened the door enough for Luna to see. I was also "pointy." I turned all the way around as quickly as I could to give her a "good" show, and wandlessly closed the door back.

I asked, "Good enough, Luna?"

She answered, "For now, Ron. Hurry up, breakfast is waiting."

Harry and I quickly got dressed, with Harry still blushing down to his chest, minus our trainers and socks. We went to the loo, washed up, and went down to the kitchen for breakfast.

Second, Ginny and Luna had arranged themselves in such a way as to _strongly_ suggest we sit paired with _them_ instead of each other.

I told Harry in my mind, " _They probably want to play 'footsie' with us, either to tease us, flirt with us, or both. Just let them, and be nice but honest. "_

 _You will need to marry_ someone _because of who you are, and you're insisting that if you marry a girl, that_ I'll _have to, too. With our being_ us, _there aren't many witches that will willingly share like that! Luna's my best bet and Ginny just might be yours._

 _"Just remind them that we're still young, and that the bond might not_ let _us be more than friends. Other than taking the Mick at a quarter-past six, they're fun to hang out with."_

Harry replied, _"But she's your_ sister, _Old Man!"_

I replied, _"And Luna's her best friend. If either of us does_ anything _I wouldn't approve of Ginny and you doing, they can_ both _take care of themselves and each other – to the point that_ neither _of us would be able to kill the other, because we'd_ both _be dead!"_

" _Girls are_ scary," he answered silently before we both said, "Good Morning, Ginny, Luna."

Luna replied, _"And good morning to you too, Ron and Harry."_

Ginny seemed to be silent, but I just ignored it, since she _isn't_ that much of a morning person, unlike Luna.

We each sat down next to "our" girl as Mum put breakfast on the table for us. Right before we started eating, Luna grabbed my hand while caressing my right foot with her left. While I felt the spark, I just _didn't get it_ at the time, thinking it was just a prank spell.

Across from me, Harry was blushing almost purple, and Ginny was slightly pink. Luna distracted me from them, while we started eating.

" _I see why Harry likes this so much,"_ she said.

I asked quietly, _"Why did you have Ginny summon our socks?"_ though I pretty much knew the answer.

" _So she and Harry could get to know each other better, silly. Besides, I still_ like _you."_ was her answer.

I answered honestly, _"And I'm starting to_ like _you as well, Luna. You do know what a male to male soul bond means though, right?"_

" _That Harry would be in bed with us?"_ she said sweetly as I was taking a drink of Orange Juice.

Sorry Luna, I _know_ you. Plus that was part of the answer anyhow!

After swallowing without choking or spilling a drop, I answered, _"Nice try, but yeah, and another girl too; probably Ginny, but that would depend on if any of the other girls around our age at Hogwarts could be trusted enough for him to date, and would also be willing to "share," since we're now a magically matched set. And, that's if our soul bond allows it in the first place._

" _Harry has to get married and father children. While I don't, Harry insists that I do as well. Provided I find the right one, and the soul bond lets me, I more or less have to get married, so that he will. Like I told you back in Hospital, you're fun, funny, and fun to be around. The idea of my not leaving Harry or not giving up having sex with him after we marry isn't bothering you either, so there is that. But actually getting that far isn't happening any time soon."_

" _But you_ will _, when the time is right?"_ she asked.

I answered in total sincerity, _"Of course, Luna! I'll bring you into my heart, and ask you to do the same. Just don't be surprised to find Harry, and don't expect him to clear out for you, either."_

She was holding my hand again, and her left foot was starting to make _my_ left foot jealous! A second jolt of magic hit both of us. Judging by how Harry and Ginny jumped at more or less the same time, Luna and I must not have been the only ones.

I realized that I had felt _that_ particular jolt once before. I also realized that Harry and Ginny's silence, wasn't really _silence_ at all, and that even though Luna had been having an otherwise "normal" conversation, that I hadn't spoken out loud since wishing them "good morning," and that _they_ hadn't spoken to us aloud since waking us up!

With equal parts joy and fear, I quietly looked through my bond with Harry, but looked _deeper_. What I saw was _definitely_ not Harry! I drew back into myself and found a _second_ bond!

Neville walked in to the kitchen, still in his bathrobe and nightshirt, and just as distracted as he was the night before.

I asked him, "Neville, what is a more 'typical' time between when a bond is sealed and when consummation starts?"

He answered, "There's no set answer really, and that's why some people will actually _break_ a soul bond if they realize they have one before it's sealed, which almost never happens. Sometimes the couples can go _years,_ but sometimes the bond 'takes over' and your 'first time' happens within hours or even _minutes._

"Hermione and I are hoping for a "long" time, since she's only just going on twelve, and she's afraid that her Muggle parents would literally lose their minds. _My_ only worry is that she's able to carry full-term and have a healthy child without damaging _her_ health. The bond normally strengthens a woman 'down there,' but twelve is still not the best age to start your family, even without having to worry about money and even with having family to support you and help you raise your kids. Why?"

Taking a deep breath, I say, "Mum, could you come over here and sit down, please?"

She did, and I made sure that Luna and I stood up and were not "hemmed-in." While I trusted Mum, I wasn't "taking any chances."

Mum asked worriedly, "Are Harry or you expecting? Is that even possible?"

I answered, " _No, Mum!_ It doesn't work that way!"

I could feel the blush heat my face. But I had to get control of my emotions, and let Mum know what was going on, rather than "surprising" her with it.

"The news I have isn't that much better. Luna and I just sealed a soul bond with each other, and Harry and Ginny _also_ just sealed a soul bond with each other. The good news is that the four of us just might be able to 'put off' having children if we get ahead of the bonds and slow them down, and that at least you were told _this time_ by _us_ instead of Headmaster Dumbledore."

A loud –CRACK—sounded in the kitchen, announcing the arrival of Pandora Lovegood, who was holding a Ministry letter, and was _not_ happy! The slightly quieter –CRACK—announced the arrival of Xenophilius, who wasn't overjoyed either, but who was more concerned with his wife.

Taking control of the situation, I said in a loud voice that did not sound raised, "Let's _all_ not lose our heads, here! These things _do just happen._ We at least have enough warning that we can hopefully 'minimize' any problems, rather than getting surprised by them."

-Knock!- -Knock!- -Knock!—

Neville had ended up closest to the Kitchen door. I asked him, "Neville, see who that is, please?"

He answered, "It's Great-Uncle Algie!"

"Let him in." I retort.

As Neville let Croaker in, I sent a quick message. " _Adfero Arthur Weasley_ Dad, it's Ron! You need to come home _now!_ It's too important to say in a spell. Thanks, Dad! _Adfero."_

While I was sending my message, I saw a flash of fire just outside of the corner of my eye from just outside of the kitchen door. Sure enough, Headmaster Dumbledore followed Croaker, with Hermione Granger in tow no less. His face was tense at first, but relaxed as he walked in the door.

As crazy as things were, they _could_ have been worse. Instead of trying to kill Harry, Mum had actually got him in her lap, and was holding and comforting him. Ginny was also comforting Harry as she stood beside them. As the Headmaster was able to see this, he finished relaxing.

I asked him, "Did the wards alarm or something? And while Hermione is welcome in this mess, I suppose, why did you bring her if you suspected problems?"

He answered, "Apparently, neither Croaker nor the section of the DOM that maintains the soul bond registry are ready to handle near instant forming and sealing of soul bonds. Also, when one or more of the persons involved attend Hogwarts, the Headmaster is notified both for the _forming,_ and the _sealing_ of each bond; even prior to the notifications being sent to the persons and families involved. I received Lord and Lady Longbottom's notices late yesterday afternoon, and received the _forming_ notices for Lord and Lady Peverell-Potter and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley less than ten minutes ago.

"The wards were 'stumbling,' though still stronger than they had been at Privet Drive, when I collected Mrs. Longbottom to come out here and find out what was going on."

Croaker added, "I have the _sealing_ letters for all three couples in my hand. Pandora, while I have already put a twenty-four hour hold on the notifications, that doesn't stop DOM employees or Hogwarts from receiving the notifications automatically, since _those_ notifications _can't_ be blocked. _Everyone else_ was blocked including the courtesy and congratulatory copies for the couples themselves. I hand-carried the notifications for the three new couples with me."

Dad Apparated home just outside of the back door. With wand drawn, he walked in to the kitchen.

I told him, "We aren't under attack, Dad, but things are beyond crazy. It seems the 'soul bond fairy' went nuts on us overnight. Ginny and Harry are bonded without affecting his and my bond, and I'm bonded with Luna the same way. Neville is bonded to a girl I'll introduce you to in just a minute or two."

He holstered his wand, but understandably didn't relax that much. As I worked longer in the Craft, I stressed using holsters instead of just having a wand in a pocket, though only Harry, Neville, and I had the restricted Auror holsters. Mum and everyone else except for Charlie had regular civilian arm holsters with chameleon glamours. Dad technically _could_ wear an Auror Holster, but actually _refused_ in order to make his department more "approachable" then the rest of the DMLE, which he actually fell under, reporting directly to Madam Amelia Bones.

We now had six adults and six kids ranging between the ages of ten and almost twelve, in a house that wasn't all that big. I had to raise my voice to get Dumbledore's attention.

"Headmaster, may I borrow a Hogwarts house-elf and some chairs and refreshments as needed, since I don't see this 'meeting' moving anywhere else?"

He called, "Tansy."

Tansy appeared, just as Neville summoned Mipsy, telling her to follow my instructions.

"Tansy, Mipsy, we need the furniture in the kitchen and living room to be moved somewhere close by without damage. We will need enough chairs to seat everyone here, and for the doorway to be temporarily expanded without damaging the house. When we finish with the meeting, we'll need everything put back to rights. We'll also need a breakfast buffet service suitable for a meeting from the Hogwarts stocks. Are the two of you able to do this?"

Tansy answered, "Master Headmaster said for Tansy to follow Master Ron's instructions. Tansy and Mipsy will make it happen. Will Master Ron make Mistress Weasley with two kids move?"

I looked, and Mum was in 'Dad's' chair, with both Harry and Ginny in her lap.

I told him, "No, work around them as best you can."

Two "snaps" later, and things were set up, even including a raised box at one end of the living room and a podium.

I got up and got everyone's attention again. "Everyone, please be quiet, and spread out as needed. Hogwarts has sent some food along for those of you who haven't eaten, or eaten enough yet. And yes, Dad, the house-elves will put the house back together when we're done here.

"First off, Pandora, do you know anything beyond 'common knowledge' about soul bonds?"

She answered, "Only arcane theory, and I haven't studied that in years."

I replied, "We may need that, since we are in uncharted territory here. Also, _everything_ discussed here is now "most secret" under the British Wizarding Secrecy Act. Authority to downgrade and or release is limited to Director Algernon Croaker and me, under mutual consultation except on an emergency basis. The information we discuss will not only affect mainline DOM research into Soul Bonds and other arcane magics, but will also affect an ongoing Battle-Mage Office mission involving the security of the Wizarding United Kingdom.

"First, and of greatest concern to the parents both notified and not, what factors are known or suspected to affect the length of time between the sealing and the consummation of a Soul Bond, particularly a magic induced involuntary consummation?

Surprisingly, Croaker provided part of the answer first. "What little is known suggests that the strength of the bond itself may drive the intensity of consummation, but doesn't appear to affect the time. The time is affected by stress the couple are enduring, their need for comfort from each other, the degree of physical desire the couple would have had for each other without the bond, and the comfort the pair had or would have had with each other absent the bond. But, it's not a precise science.

"Your bond with Mr. Potter illustrates this. Despite your unknowing efforts to the contrary on the Hogwarts express, you only delayed your involuntary consummation by hours at best. Of course, for the sake of discretion, this actually _was_ for the best. Do you know what to look for, Albus?"

"Yes I do, Croaker. Ron, if you use the 'Mage Sight' spell, you _might_ be able to read Harry and Ginny. You will be able to read Neville and Hermione."

I cast the spell, and felt a 'pull' on my magic as I did so.

First, I looked at Harry and Ginny. Their magic seemed to be "synchronizing" in both frequency and colour, and was fairly close; being light gold and pulsing in fairly close but not perfectly synchronized slow and steady pace.

Next, I looked at Hermione and Neville. Their magic was pure white, fully synchronized, and was pulsing so quickly that it hurt to watch.

I asked, "Headmaster, what am I looking at, and for?"

He answered, "The colour will become closer to pure white, and will flash more quickly, the closer to the time then the bond will take over and assert itself. For some reason, _all_ of the bonds are progressing exponentially faster than we have previously observed."

The Headmaster asked, "Mr. Longbottom, how big is the bed in the room you are using?"

Neville answered, "It's only a twin. Mipsy?"

"Yes, Master Neville?"

"How easily can the clearing from yesterday be warmed?"

"It can be done, Master Neville."

"Take Hermione and me out there _right now._ Hermione, hold on, we'll be able to take care of this…"

Hermione blushed, but smiled as she nodded her head. She took Neville's hand, and the two vanished.

Looking at Harry and Ginny, _their_ bond was lightening, as he stared at Luna and me in open-mouthed shock.

I said, "Drop the _Mage-Sight_ spell and _relax!_ I listened in with you and Mum. She told you that she loved you and wouldn't throw you out or make you leave. _Relax._ "

I said to the Headmaster, "How far off are the four of us? Will we need _different_ rooms, or will we need _the same room or area?"_

He answered, "Because of the bond between Harry and you, you will probably be best to just use the same room. And as difficult as it is for me to say, you had probably best go to that room." I felt myself pale more than a little bit.

Xeno reassured me, saying, "I think the two of you are too young, but magic thinks otherwise. You aren't lying or taking from Luna, so we're good. I'll take care of her mother, and send her things over. Luna is more portable than Harry's wards, and we'll always love her. She's _moving_ out, not being _thrown out,_ so don't either of you make yourselves scarce around the Rookery."

Luna's eyes were shining as she said, "Thanks, Daddy."

Xeno kissed the both of us on the foreheads, and was gone.

Dad had us kids follow him outside the back door. He said, "Since Harry showed it meant a lot to him, each boy pick up your girl."

Harry, who had mostly recovered, picked up Ginny, who made sure she pulled her skirt up between her legs before Harry picked her up. He said, "Dad? Please get the doors; I'll have to make it in one go. He kissed Ginny, and took off at a brisk walk. I picked Luna up and followed behind. She didn't bother with her skirt.

Between the two of us, Harry had the heavier girl, by about ten pound or so. Ginny was a bit of an "early bloomer" at 5 foot even and one hundred pounds. Luna was only four foot ten and ninety pounds.

As we entered the house and kissed, Luna spoke through the bond. _"I thought we'd be older."_

I answered, _"So did I, Luna. I had thought it would be a different house, too. At least I got the girl right."_

" _Yes,"_ she answered. _"And it only took three lifetimes to do it. I'm sorry about the other two not 'making' it, though."_

" _Don't be, Luna. My other lifetimes were exactly that. You only share me with Harry. He and you are the_ only _ones I'll ever see as lovers. You are equals, just different."_

" _Ron, I've never been so horny in my life! Is this what you and Harry have been going through?"_

" _Yes,"_ I replied as we made it to the door, which Harry fortunately hadn't latched. I entered the room, kissed Luna, and set her down on her feet. Before closing the door, I hollered downstairs, "Dad, I'll have the privacy charms up. If you hear anything clearly, be discrete, but we might need help. Otherwise, it should be like all four of us were grown-up and doing this somewhere else."

I closed the door, and locked it. Without any magic on top of it, a simple _Alohomora_ would unlock it just fine if needed.

Harry and Ginny were sitting _very nervously_ on the edge of the bed, appearing as if in conversation. If I tried, I could hear Harry's half, but _not_ Ginny's. Just as well, really.

I said, "We are about to do something we hadn't expected to do for years. First, unless you _really want_ it secret, say it out loud."

I raised the privacy charms a _lot,_ and spoke again.

"I've got the privacy charms up so that no one outside of this room will hear. If we actually need help, I can drop them even quicker. Otherwise, it's just us.

"First, Ginny, _get over it._ I'll be in the same room at the same time _._ I'm _not_ a Carrow, and I'm just as squicked-out in a way as you are. But if you had thought about it, you'd have realized that this was a possibility, if not really likely. Same to you, Harry. She'll _know_ when _we're_ doing it, too. The only thing that will stop her from looking in through your eyes will be that she'll see _me._ I'd be more worried about _Luna,_ myself."

Luna smacked me on the arm, and a lot of the 'nerves' were broken.

Harry asked, "So, Old Man, how are we going to do this?"

Answering the girls' confusion, I said, "First, when we're having sex, he calls me 'Old Man,' and I call him 'Brat.'" Harry blushed at this, or at least blushed _more._

"Second, if you get nicknames, they will _only_ be used when the four of us _won't_ be overheard. Whatever we call each other 'in the bedroom' _stays_ 'in the bedroom.'

"Finally, we'll figure it out as we go along. The first time we penetrate you girls, it might sting when we tear your 'maidenheads.' You will also probably bleed, at least a little. Harry and I are also 'adult size,' and the two of you aren't, really. But, if you're horny, and you relax, it should be fine. We'll also do stuff with and for you, so we'll all have climaxed at least once before we get to 'that.'

"With the bond, the guy will 'share the pain,' too, if there is any. If there is any pain, it should go away before too long, but I'm not sure _how_ long.

"Luna, both of you are wearing skirts. Are either of you wearing knickers?" They both shake their heads.

"Do the two of you want to undress Brat and me?"

We all blushed, but Ginny nodded, and Luna said, "That will help us relax. We'll strip for you first, though. I don't know about Ginny, but I'm all 'wet,' and it'll stain my skirt if I keep it on. Trade places with Ginny?"

Ginny and I swapped. I asked, "Ginny, have Brat and you figured out how to look through each other's eyes yet?"

She nodded and blushed as she looked at herself through Harry's eyes. When Luna and I 'traded vision,' she gasped in wonder.

They weren't wearing much. They started with their skirts for the reason Luna had already said. Luna was wearing two tops, which she took off as one. Her areolas were fifty-pence size, but she was just starting to "grow."

Ginny was wearing a t-shirt and a training bra. She removed the t-shirt, but left the bra on. She walked to Harry _carefully,_ since she was using his eyes.

When she got well within reach, she asked, "Unhook me, please?"

Harry was able to undo the bra, though he was nervous, too. She walked carefully back to Luna, turned around, and let the bra drop. She needed the bra. I _really_ didn't want to pay attention, so I didn't.

I asked, "By the way, have the two of you tried anything together?"

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face. Luna answered, "We did, after lunch on Tuesday. It wasn't that interesting, and we didn't do more than get naked out in the woods and touch each other's chests. Ginny didn't want you to know."

"Sorry, Ginny," I replied. "We're both going to see a lot more of each other than we wanted to, if you follow. But Harry is bonded to and _needs both of us, just like I now need both Luna and him._

I listened in to Harry. He was sobbing to himself, " _please forgive me… please forgive me…"_

I hit him with a wandless cheering charm and grabbed him in a tender embrace, kissing him deeply. I broke the kiss after about ten seconds and answered, "Whatever it is, Brat, I forgive you, and so does Ginny."

"Ginny," I say, "Your lover is overheating from all the extra clothes he's wearing. It's _your_ turn this morning, so be a dear and get him starkers. Also, rub his feet; he _loves_ it! And when you take his shirts off…"

Harry had his glasses off and in his hand. He said, "Please strip me, Ginny! I'll need to put my glasses back on after you get my shirts, though."

She took off first his (my) work shirt, and then his t-shirt, throwing both to the floor. She took his glasses from his hand, and gently put them back on his face. She leaned forward, and kissed him.

He took off his holster and passed it to me, saying, "Set it on the nightstand, Old Man, and yours too! I'm pretty sure that _Luna_ won't appreciate them against her bare back."

I stood up as I removed my holsters, leaving the shirt cuffs unbuttoned. Ginny paused in undoing Harry's trousers, and passed her civilian holster with wand over to me. I collected it, and Luna _also_ handed me a holstered wand. I suppose that _that_ was why she had her left side to me instead of her right.

I said, "Stand up a sec? I'll banish the blankets to the foot of the bed. We won't worry about towels or anything since we're still trying to figure out what we're doing, here."

Harry asked, "Should I get out the 'jelly?'"

I replied, "Get it and set it on the nightstand, in case the girls get 'curious,' but we won't be going there on them right away if at all."

 _Ginny_ went to Harry's trunk and fetched it, sitting it on the nightstand. She knelt in front of Harry, and dropped his trousers. She helped him step out of them, and I decided to pay a _lot_ more attention to Luna.

She said, "Kneel down in front of me, Ron."

I did, and she took each shirt in turn.

"Now stand," she said.

I did, and she undid my trousers, pulling them to the floor.

I stepped out of them with her help, and the y-fronts were next.

Several of the Hogwarts washcloths appeared both near me, and near Harry and Ginny, who I was trying to give as much privacy as possible…

Luna announced, "I want some in my mouth, and some on my face," and with that, I was suddenly watching through her eyes as she went down.

She asked in my mind, _"How do I get it all in?"_

I replied in hers, _"Relax your throat, and go_ slow. _When I pull it back into your mouth, let me. I'll be about to come. You should already be starting to feel my sensations as well as your own. I can already feel in my throat as well as feel your desire building 'down there.'_

She looked up at me, looking directly into my eyes with her pale silver ones, and that had me going over the edge. I pulled it back from her throat, and she took control from there.

I started releasing in her mouth, and she took out to get the rest on her lower face. When I was done, I knelt in front of her, and slouched down to reach her face with my tongue. I licked her mostly clean, and finished up gently with one of the washcloths. We French-kissed and she stood up before me, spreading her legs.

She looked over her shoulder, and changed her mind. She said, "Lady Gold wishes to lie beside Lady Red while her needs are taken care of!"

Harry exclaimed, "Like from your mum's comic books?"

Luna replied, "Why not, it's better than Brat and Old Man! Especially since we're both younger than either of you! How'd he taste, Gin?"

"I thought it was 'Red,' Gold. And it tasted like Brat. Did you make the 'sell-by' date?"

"The Old Man is always perfectly aged." Luna quipped as she lay down beside Red.

Harry asked in my mind, _"How do I do this, Old Man?"_

" _Ask her,"_ I replied. _"Every girl or woman is just a little different. Do it how and where she says, and you'll be fine."_

Ginny's face cycled through several colours, before she sat up, pulled Harry's face to hers, and kissed him. She said out loud, "I love you, Harry James Potter. Now, quit apologizing and _eat me!_ If you're nice enough at it, for your first try, I'll let you stick your tongue in my bum like you do Old Man, and I'll even try it with you! He blushed again, but also smiled, and they got back to it.

I turned back to Luna, and 'went down.' She was aroused enough that I could start off more directly than I might have otherwise. I licked around her 'button,' her 'lips,' and even went inside her several times with my tongue. I decided to 'finish' her from 'inside' if I could, and actually managed to do it.

Luna rolled over onto her stomach, to get what Harry was giving Ginny. She got it, with a little help on the other side from my hand, and climaxed again. She asked, "Do you want me to return the favour?"

Harry was on the floor, on his knees and left hand. Ginny was returning the favour, and lending a helping hand as well. Harry's had cupped his hand in front of himself. We got down on the floor, and followed their lead. After finishing, Luna and I shared what I'd 'caught,'

They had us lay down on the beds, on our backs. Luna said, "I read that this is easier for a virgin, and it's not like we'll be flying the sheet from the battlements like in the Middle Ages.

I paid attention to Luna, but hearing Ginny and Harry gasp in unison distracted me for a moment.

Luna decided to let 'gravity' do the work, and rather than easing on, just sat straight down on it, after making sure that she and it were lined up. It wasn't "Harry rammed it home the first time" painful, but it definitely got my attention. While she was an "early bloomer" down there, I was still already "adult sized," and she just _sat_ on it!

After we both caught our breaths, she and Ginny started to 'ride' in unison. I lasted five minutes before climaxing the first time, just as she started to come. I let both climaxes 'roll' back and forth between us, until we were both utterly spent – or at least _she_ was. I was still hard, if satisfied. She lay down on me, and we kissed deeply again.

She asked, "How much do you have to clean it after doing me in the bum to do me in front again without giving me an infection?"

I answered, "Soap and water will do just fine. There's a pan under the bed, we have soap in the room, and I can cast the _Aguamenti_ spell easily. Did you want to try that?"

Luna nodded her head, adding, "I think I'm good in front, but if the 'zombie sex' hits…"

Harry said, "Hold that thought." He thought, and his wand just barely left his holster, and remained on the nightstand. He incanted, _"Adfero Albus Dumbledore_ Professor, it's Harry. Will the uncontrolled stuff like Sunday night happen if she's already pregnant from you? We're still worried about that. Please let us know by return spell, thanks. _Adfero"_

Harry's stag Patronus nodded once and vanished in a streak of light. About three minutes later, a silvery ghostly phoenix entered the room and spoke in Dumbledore's voice.

"Congratulations on learning a new spell. Be careful what you send with it, since the spell cannot tell who else is with the person whom you have sent the message. I was fortunately alone, but had several of the faculty in my office not two minutes prior.

"As you guessed, the magically driven act is to force pregnancy in male to female soul bonds, as well as to open the bond further. Having that act magically driven after first conception is not known to happen. But you _will_ want to be careful, and you should be more concerned with opening yourselves with and to each other, which is by far the greater benefit to the bond."

I wandlessly cast a pregnancy charm on Ginny, who was sitting up on Harry with him still inside of her. Somewhat surprisingly, she _was_ pregnant! I repeated the spell with Luna, and got the same results, but with an added pulse.

All four of us gasped, though in my case, it was the idea of putting 'tiny little Luna' through twins for her first pregnancy.

I asked, "How far out from your last period was this for each of you?

Ginny answered, "Fifteen days for both of us. Why?"

I said, "The timing influences whether the child is a girl or a boy. On the early side of the fertility window, only the larger and longer living female sperm can make it all the way to the egg. On the late side, the smaller and faster male sperm out swim the female sperm, and get to the egg first."

I could see a hundred different emotions cross Harry's face, before he settled on "prank." He turned pensive again, and called for Mipsy.

Before the house-elf could speak, Harry asked, "Were Master Neville and Mistress Hermione 'in control' when they went out to the clearing? Did they _stay_ in control?"

Mipsy paused, before saying, "Master and Mistress stayed in control of themselves and enjoyed the time. Mistress is sad, now, and Master is having trouble cheering her up."

Harry answered, "Thank you Mipsy. We'll be busy a while longer."

The house-elf left, and Harry became devious again He incanted, " _Adfero Hermione Longbottom_ Cheer up, Hermione! At least _your_ sibling wasn't watching _you_ get it on! Nyaah! _Adfero."_

He rolled over on his stomach and caressed my leg with his foot. He said, "Open the window, Old Man, and lube me up and take care of me. Ginny wants to try, but she's scared of what it will feel like."

I wandlessly opened the window, and Luna looked me in the eye. She said, "After that, he takes care of you too. Then, Ginny and I will ride the two of you that way." Off in the distance, we heard Hermione scream, "HARRY POTTER, YOU BRAT!"

I closed the window to the sound of Harry's giggling. I grabbed the 'jelly,' and went to town on Harry's arse while kissing his back and neck, and while Ginny held his hand. He cried and hollered, but enjoyed every minute, caressing my feet with his while he cried and shouted – how good it felt, and for her to not 'hitch' or hold her breath, because he was bigger than me, and she would be "smaller than I was, before Ron happened." We both came after about five minutes, along with _Ginny!_

She exclaimed, "Oh _Merlin,_ Gold! You won't believe it! I felt Brat _and_ Old Man, _and I came too!_ I squirted half-way to my knees!"

I felt a sharp stinging slap to my arse, and yelped in pain. Luna said, "Budge up and let the Brat have you, Old Man. so Lady Gold can get her due!"

Switch it up we did, and boy, did we! He had my eyes watering, and my arse was on fire! I shouted until I almost lost my voice. But I also had never felt better in my life. Luna had held my hand in one of hers, and was squeezing _it_ with her other. I barely lasted four minutes before both Harry and I climaxed, almost passing out.

We lay there catching our breath, with Harry nuzzling my ear whilst stroking the soles of my feet with his toes. I had never felt so spent, yet so _alive._

After she had somewhat caught her breath, Luna said, "I didn't know girls could 'squirt' at climax. I think I made my knees!"

Harry 'pulled out,' and rolled toward the foot of the bed as I rolled back towards the head. Luna straddled me right away, facing back-on towards me. She said, "Please finger some 'jelly' into my bum, while I make sure you're still slick." After fingering her, and working her up to two fingers, she turned around to face me. I saw that Ginny was hovering over Harry, and still looking worried.

They lined themselves up, looked at each other, nodded, and sat down quickly, shouting as they did so. Harry grabbed my right hand with his left, as I grabbed one of Luna's. They were _both_ hurting, yet wouldn't admit it, and rode us like carousel horses. We made love and sex and noise, lasting for almost ten intense minutes, before all four of us climaxed through our bonds, and into, and onto each other. Luna and Ginny collapsed onto us, as they caressed, kissed, and hugged us, and we them.

Harry surprised us all when he spoke. Though heard by all three of us who were in the room with him, he spoke to only one. "Sometimes, Ginerva Molly Potter, you who are the purer portion of my soul; only the wild feast will fill you. Other times, a quiet supper is more than enough.

"In my memory, Ginny, I have never had a pair of shoes that truly _fit,_ or socks that were _fit to wear,_ until I bought my dress shoes and socks for Hogwarts. I was also never in a place where I felt _safe_ to remove them. My cupboard was cold, and the spiders might 'take a bite.' I didn't wear shoes or socks to bathe, but 'bath-time' on the _best_ of days was only for hygiene and that as quick as I could manage.

"I had no safe refuge, no place where I could remove the minor tortures from my feet, because of the _major_ tortures that dogged my heels from first light to last post. I had to be ready to run like the wind, duck, and dodge, and all of that with shoes that _never_ fit well. My last pair of trainers came from the dumpster behind the second-hand clothing store. Until Sunday, the first of September last, when my True Hero met me at King's Cross.

"I had arrived to catch a train, Ginny, when we met in passing. My Hero met me instead, that I would ride on the train instead of beneath the wheels of one. He bore me up from the depths of true despair, to the light of _happiness,_ and of life well and truly _lived._ I gave myself to him utterly, fearing he would reject me, or say that I 'wasn't good enough.'

"But, he _accepted_ me, and gave me the entirety of himself in return! I don't know if even _he_ appreciates just what he gave me along with a meal, and the chance to remove my trainers and socks in peace. I thought I would trade the use of my body for a few hours respite. Yet he not only gave me _his body in return,_ but also gave me true peace, for the first time that I could remember.

"I also discovered things that most people take for granted. I discovered that being touched felt good, and that you _could_ touch or hug a person without getting slapped or punched. I discovered that it felt _nice_ to have someone prepare a meal for you, and actually put in the effort to make the food taste _good._

"I also discovered that it felt nice to go around without shoes or socks, and that it felt _even better_ to do so with a lover who appreciated me completely, even down to caressing my feet with their own, and thinking that they are not only nice, but sexy too. While not quite hugging or kissing, it also feels _nice._ I've had more _nice_ in the last five days than I've had in the last five _years,_ and that is _not_ including the sex, which I can't even find words to describe.

"Magic, at times, is both kind and cruel in equal measure. Our bond, and Ron's bond with me may bind me to the both of you, but they have also set me _free._ If the world _ever_ slows down long enough for me to get my mind around it, I will be truly _happy_ for the first time that I can remember, even with the price we're paying for being 'ahead of the time,' and 'not exactly what society will accept.'

"My life is actually worth _living_ for the first time that I can remember, and I actually _look forward_ to tomorrow and the day after that with something other than fear and weariness. And, it all comes down to twelve words, half of which are proper nouns.

"I love you, Ronald Billius Weasley. I love you, Ginerva Molly Potter. Twelve words in two sentences that are also only one, and life is for me now a wonderful word, rather than a _sentence._

"Even with all the uncertainty in our lives, and I'm every bit as scared about everything to do with starting our family at our ages as you are, I now have _hope_ again, for the first time that I can remember. There are no words to express how thankful I am to the two of you and to your family with allowing me into their lives as well…"

I checked through my bond with Harry. Both he and Ginny were fast asleep.

I called Mipsy.

"Master Ron called for Mipsy?"

"Who else is in the house besides the four of us?"

"Only Master Neville and Mistress Hermione are in the house. Master Arthur told me to tell you to send your talking dog spell to him when all six young masters are cleaned up and dressed again."

"Have Master Neville and Mistress Hermione used the loo and gotten cleaned up yet?"

"Master and Mistress have cleaned themselves but have not dressed yet. Master Neville asked that Masters and Mistresses come down stairs without getting dressed first."

I looked at my watch. Even with all the excitement, it was still only eleven forty-five.

I told Mipsy, "We need our clothes laid out, so we can dress later on. Let Master Neville know that we will be downstairs in just a moment. Thank you." Mipsy vanished to do that, and I stretched out.

Luna asked, "How long do we let Red and Brat sleep?"

"Only a minute or two, Lady Gold. After we clean up ourselves just a bit, we need to head downstairs."

"My bum hasn't closed up all the way yet. And I think I might have…" She was slightly ashamed.

I reassured her, "You _did,_ but I wandlessly banished it, and Ginny's, too. I think it's either the bond that Harry and I share, or just plain dumb luck that _we_ haven't done that. When having anal sex, the receiving partner or partners use the loo first to make sure that they're 'empty' down there.

"We won't be able to wash you girls' hair…"

"Let's just wipe off with damp cloths so we aren't really nasty, and wash our hands. I think that that might be what Neville and Hermione were expecting. Harry will need to share the shower with Ginny and you with me as we work through it. We'll find out downstairs from Neville how long we have to stay starkers together, and when we may finish the errands you're thinking about." After Luna said that, we kissed, and started to get cleaned up.

While we were cleaning up, I silently asked her, _"Why weren't Ginny and you surprised about your Soul Bonds with us?"_

She replied in my mind, _"We were partly surprised. A night or two before your 'Acceptance Letter Party,' I_ saw _that I could have you, and that Ginny and Harry could become a couple, but that we would never have the two of you only to ourselves. I thought about that, and decided that it would be ok to share, so long as you loved me enough._

" _I shared my vision with Ginny. After thinking about it, she came to the same conclusion. She was more nervous worrying about her brothers' reactions, oddly including you._

" _When we were told Tuesday that Harry and you had bonded, Ginny and I were both crushed at first. But your Mum mentioned that Harry was wanting to try dating Ginny in a few years, and asked about it in such a way that he didn't come off creepy or anything. Ginny and I talked about it, and decided that that was what I saw._

" _Our bonds with Harry and you actually opened up the same time as Hermione's bond to Neville did._ He's _not going to share our bed too, is he? I don't think Hermione is the type that would share."_

I answered, _"No, he isn't. Harry and I doing that with him was the first time we actually touched him. We'd masturbated together once a couple of days ago, and the six of us might do this kind of stuff together now, but I will only ever touch you and Harry like that, and he will only ever touch Ginny and me. Neville and Hermione will only ever touch each other."_

She silently asked, _"What about you travelling time twice? When were you going to tell Ginny and me?"_

I replied in kind, _"If the bonds hadn't happened, I'd have told you_ right before we got engaged _. I'd have told Harry before you, but I wasn't in any hurry to tell him before he needed to know. Ginny would probably never have found out, and Neville and Hermione wouldn't have, either._

" _While I'm sure everyone already knows by now, I'll tell everyone once we all get downstairs. We need to keep this a secret as much as possible, because there are people out there who would_ kill all six of us _to learn what I know, even knowing that my past experiences may not come to pass this time and in this world."_

She nodded, and we kissed.

I had found out while cleaning up that Neville had 'helped himself' via house-elf to two pain relief potions, and had returned the empty vials. Though I _had_ stocked up on those for a different kind of action then we had actually faced, they _were_ just what they said on the tin. With all the 'shared sensation' the bonds pushed around, especially with Luna and Ginny in the mix, they were quite useful. I was going to need to stock up again anyway before too long.

§§§

Ten minutes later saw the four of us descending the stairs wearing _much less_ than we wore going up. Harry and I were wearing wristwatches, and I carried all five of our holstered wands in one hand while holding Luna's hand with the other.

We got down to the living room to discover that other than folding some of the chairs out of the way, that the Burrow was still turned around as I had done for the aborted "morning meeting." Neville and Hermione were both completely nude, sitting together on one of three "matching" chairs that was widened to fit two people and covered with throw cloths. We barely got off of the stairs and into the living room before Hermione asked her first question.

"Brat, what was with the talking deer that made faces at me?" she asked…

And was almost immediately cut off by Neville retorting, "Take it easy, _Otter Girl!_ Bedroom names are just that, and we don't quite share _their_ bedroom.

"Thanks for the potions by the way, Ron. And I'm sorry for not asking first. I'll pay you back, and I also got you a tube of 'jelly' from the chemist's yesterday evening when I had Mipsy get a tube for me. Mipsy can get me stuff from the Muggle stores without stealing it. I've given her permission to access my trust vault, and withdraw in either wizarding or Muggle money. She goes in invisible, has the shop clerk 'see' a non-descript Muggle instead of a house-elf, and pays for whatever I sent her to buy."

"You're welcome, and thanks, too. If we have to 'settle accounts,' the pain relief potion is about half the price of the 'jelly' when you convert the money back and forth, so we're good. And, I was really _not_ looking forward to going in to the chemist's as an eleven year old to buy a tube of _that._ "

Hermione asked, "So, what spell _was_ that?"

Harry looked down, tracing an arc with toe of his right foot, and quietly asked, "You're not _mad,_ are you?" Ginny squeezed his hand lightly.

Hermione answered, "No, Harry, at least not now. I had been crying, and I guess that you'd figured out somehow. When that crazy ghost-deer showed up and made its face at me, I _wasn't_ crying, and I got rather embarrassed. To put a point on it, I was sitting on Neville taking him in my bum, and the spell startled me into sitting all the way on it, _hard._ I shouted so loud that you probably would have heard me back at the house."

Harry looked up blushing, but with a slight smile on his face. He answered, "We _did_ hear you, sis! The spell is one-way only, so we wouldn't have heard it otherwise. Sorry about _that,_ though. You try to take it in _slowly_ when starting, especially the first few times you do it.

"The spell is called Adfero, and is a communication version of the Patronus spell. You incant the spell by saying _Adfero_ , the name of the person you're sending the message to, the message, and _Adfero_ to send it. I just picked it up because Ron has sent a bunch of them. I can probably do a Patronus too, but even with everything else going on, I haven't needed to. We can teach you guys the Patronus first. Once you can do that, Adfero is easy. You look nice, by the way."

She returned blush, smile, and compliment. "Thanks, little brother. You look nice, too; especially your eyes. And, your feet are kinda cute, too…" she finished with a slight blush.

Hermione trailed off as Ginny took Harry in a possessive but loving embrace. They hugged and kissed deeply and lovingly, while Ginny caressed the tops of his feet with one of her own.

I asked, "Neville, hanging out naked together is nice, and will help us get comfortable with everything else about each other. But how long will we _need_ to do this? And when should the four of us from upstairs work through the loo?"

He looked at us and answered, "After I answer, Harry and Ginny can go upstairs and shower together first, then Luna and you. Take your showers together, wash each other more than yourselves, and shampoo each other's hair. Get dried off, brush your teeth if you need to, and then come back down here. Brush each other's hair, especially the girls, with your girl sitting between your legs if you can work it out. Make sure that you touch each other and share small physical attention with each other as much as possible, to reduce the chances of going through what Harry and you did, which was basically the bond _making_ you keep contact with each other.

"All of our bonds 'worked through' _much faster_ than what passes for normal with these things. If the girls are all pregnant, we will likely not have an 'episode' like Harry and you did.

"Also, Harry and you need to keep touching _each other,_ if you haven't been, to keep _that_ bond stable as well. After a bond is sealed, breaking one _never_ ends well or pleasantly."

I said, "Ginny and Luna are both pregnant, Luna with twins, probably fraternal since I got two pulses from her within minutes of my climaxing in her the first time. I can check Hermione if the two of you both want?"

They both nodded while blushing. I said, "Hermione, please spread your legs. I'm actually much better with this spell without a wand than with.

Out of the six of us, she was the only one who had started to grow any hair in those places. She was also at the point where she needed to learn the depilatory spell and how to shave the 'Muggle way.' She was also carrying twins.

I told them, and congratulated passed all the way around. I asked Hermione when her last period was. After I explained why she asked, she said that hers was also fifteen days ago. They were happy, yet rightly concerned. While Hermione wouldn't have things quite as difficult come the fifth of June or so if all the girls were magically "helped" to carry to full term, she _was_ still just shy of twelve years old, which isn't the best of ages to start a family even without any worries about money.

Harry and Ginny started up the stairs to the loo, after I gave Harry a quick passionate kiss and a gentle caress on the bum. Luna had me set our wands on the table that would have held the food for the meeting. Then she guided me to a chair.

She had me sit on the edge of the chair. She said, "I want to _try something._ "

With no further warning, she French-kissed me, took me in her mouth just enough to get me fully hard, and sat down on me and _rode_ me.

We heard from upstairs, "Gold, you miIIINX!"

Hermione stood up and brought Neville to the edge of the chair…

§§§

Half two saw all of us freshly showered, brushed, and back downstairs. Tansy had sent food from Hogwarts for us to eat a 'buffet' lunch with pumpkin juice and water to drink. Neville once again supplied the orange juice, along with three tokkuri.

He said, "It's a little early in the day for sake, but I hope a toast to our new families is in order. Also, Hermione was very curious about trying some. One saucer only each for the girls and no more until after all our first children are born. While 'no alcohol during pregnancy' would be even less obvious a 'problem' with our age issues, it does need to be said. Unlike the Weasley or Potter tables, we Longbottoms tend to start drinking alcohol somewhat younger than our peers do, though not _all the time_ , and almost never to excess.

"While I've only shared sake so far, the Longbottoms fortune is based in the trade of wines and spirits, as well as citrus. So, in _my_ life, it's 'always been around.'"

Luna added, "We first tried sake when I was seven, after Ron had mentioned that he would like some sake and sushi in passing. My mum had a friend at the magical Japanese Embassy, but had not previously tried any Japanese food or drink. This was about the time "Hand-Cast-Ronnie" first started drinking sake and eating sushi when relaxing."

The ladies drank their one saucer each, after we poured for them. Hermione, who was the only one in the room who _hadn't_ had sake before, actually _liked_ it. 'First-Hermione' never cared for any Japanese food and drink, though she would eat and drink politely as Minister so as not to offend anyone at international meetings and receptions. Since the "friendliest" beverage "second-Hermione" would give me would be _Draught of Living Death,_ I wisely never willingly dined in close-quarters with her.

Three o'clock saw us "fed and watered," and still "behaving ourselves." I had Tansy and Mipsy bring back the love seat to the living room. Neville was in "Dad's chair," with Hermione in his lap and a sheet underneath. The love seat also had a sheet on it. Harry and I sat together with our "inside" arms around each other's shoulders, and our "playing footsie." Ginny and Luna were sitting in our laps, with each of us caressing them and holding them to our chests.

I announced, "In case any of you haven't already been told or seen it in your lover's mind for yourself, I've time-travelled twice. This is the third time I've lived, and this might be my third dimension. Both times, I was 'moved' against my will, and taken to the point of my conception.

"Other than the six of us, only Mum, Dad, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Croaker, and Master Garrick know. This information is classified 'most-secret,' and there are people out there who would kill all six of us to find out what I know, even with the 'future' changed from what I remember.

"This is the first lifetime where any of us in this room experienced a Soul Bond, so I don't know any more about that than the rest of you, and certainly less than Neville. Does anyone have any questions they want to ask me directly?"

Hermione asked, "You told Neville that you had married _me_ in my first lifetime, but that _I_ tried to kill you in my second. Why?"

I replied, "People in this world strongly resemble people in my first world. But it's at least _two_ worlds if not _three,_ and the same number of different people minus me _._ I haven't seen anything that would prove or disprove this world being a different dimension from my first lifetime.

"The people in my second lifetime sometimes resembled people in my first, and sometimes not. Harry was a girl, for starters. The 'Ron Weasley' that was _supposed_ to be in that world did _something_ to piss that 'Hermione Granger' off badly, as wanted me dead and ended up sending me into this dimension badly. Neither she nor that world's 'Harri Potter' would ever tell me what he did or why.

"In this lifetime, absent any bonds, I _might_ have gotten together with you, but Luna had a far better chance. With only Harry's and my bind, it would definitely have been Luna, since she told me she _would_ 'share' if she had to, and I strongly suspect that you _wouldn't._ Of course, we are several years younger from where I thought it would need to be discussed."

"Are there any other questions for right now?" I finished.

With no one having any more questions about time travel, we started to talk more about the bonds. We also discussed our guesses at how it would affect school.

Neville started with "Luna and Ginny will need to start school 'early' once we're all 'stable' enough to go back to Hogwarts. While Luna and Ginny might not sort into Gryffindor like the rest of us, it still won't really matter, since we will have to _make_ time to socialize with our classmates in our houses as it is.

"Since we will _all_ have to share quarters, we might not even be able to board at the castle. We will have to ask Headmaster Dumbledore about this, since he will have to set up an entire suite to accommodate the six of us, particularly with Harry and Ron's bond being 'in the mix' as well.

"While I'm sure that our parents can watch our kids during school, I will _not_ leave our children to bond with either Gran or Hermione's parents and see us only as 'visitors.' I'm fairly sure that the rest of you feel the same way, even if Harry is scared because he never had a 'good' example while growing up.

"So, our 'married suite' will also need to be suitable for five children, between our three families. We'll need to spend what time we aren't actually in classes or training with _them_ instead of 'goofing off.' We'll have to work our studies and homework in around them, too. Otherwise, what's the point in keeping custody of our kids if we don't actually _raise_ them? Other than for feasts, we will also be taking most of our meals together as well.

"We just might be told to buy, rent, or build a house in Hogsmeade, and attend as 'day-students.' It will definitely be easier for Hogwarts, even if they give us the use of castle house-elves and send us food from the castle kitchens.

"They have a similar arrangement with the 'Werewolf house' as well."

Hermione asked, " _Werewolf_ House?" I was interested, too.

Neville said, "It's a house that's been on the grounds for a couple of hundred years or so. Some people still call it 'The Shrieking Shack.' When Remus Lupin attended Hogwarts back in the 1970s, it was actually _illegal_ for werewolves to go to school. If they were infected before they passed their OWLs, they lost their right to carry a wand completely. Fenrir Greyback himself when Mr. Lupin was only five.

"Headmaster Dumbledore arranged to make the former Headmaster's cottage into 'the most haunted house in Britain,' and used it to confine Mr. Lupin on the nights of the full moon. Somehow, Mr. Lupin's lycanthropy wasn't discovered until after he had passed all of his NEWTs with top marks, and left Hogwarts. Since the Ministry couldn't _prove_ that Mr. Lupin was infected prior to taking his NEWTs, they could do nothing to him. He kept his wand and his NEWT results as well.

"When the werewolf laws were radically liberalized in the mid 1980s, the 'Shrieking Shack' was rebuilt into the Werewolf House. While there is a potion that allows the lycanthrope to retain their human minds during their transformation, that potion is _highly regulated,_ since a werewolf like Fenrir Greyback would use it to more easily infect other people. It is also expensive, toxic, and builds up toxicity in the body to where people under 25 or so can't take it at all, and the adults can only take it for ten consecutive months at most, with a five-month break before they can take it again. That's all _if_ they can afford it in the first place, because only a Potions Master has the skill to brew it correctly, and if _not_ brewed correctly it becomes a very _deadly_ poison.

"As for infected Hogwarts students, they get sorted just like anyone else. Sally-Anne Perks was infected over the summer, and is the only lycanthrope in our year. On the afternoon of the 'full-moon' night, they go to the Werewolf House, strip naked, and eat an early dinner upstairs. When dusk approaches, they go down into the basement, and are locked into a cell with Professor McGonagall and Mr. Hagrid, who are also Animagi to 'supervise' and act as chaperones. When the moonrises, and they are transformed, the just howl and wrestle and play with each other.

Harry interrupted, "But I thought Hagrid wasn't allowed to do magic!"

Neville answered, "It isn't polite to bring it up, but Mr. Hagrid _was_ expelled and had his wand snapped in the 1940s. Headmaster Dumbledore, who was then the Deputy under Armando Dippett, persuaded Dippet and the Board of Governors to hire him as a gamekeeper-apprentice that very day, and he has remained at the school ever since.

But Mr. Hagrid's magic ban only applies to _wanded_ magic, and a wizard doesn't _need_ a wand to transform once they become an Animagus. I have no idea how Mr. Hagrid did so without a wand, but he is a giant panda Animagus, and is registered and everything.

"Anyway, in the morning the infected students transform back, take pain-relief and healing potions if needed, and eat breakfast. By the start of classes, they are showered, back into full uniform, and back to class with the other students. Some of them, even though so far they've sorted into every house except Slytherin, hang out together, going so far as to get chaperoned, and hang out starkers together in the Werewolf House on nights when the full moon _isn't_ rising. They're _not_ allowed to make out or anything like that, but the school goes along with it since it makes the transformed pack 'friendlier' with each other, and not prone to biting and hurting themselves or each other.

"Back to us; I can feel that Hermione's and my bond is stable. All of your bonds look stable as well, but I think we'll all need to get used to seeing a _lot_ more of each other for the next few weeks to _keep_ the bonds stable, including all of us having sex more or less at the same time and in the same room. With your unusual multiple bond, I can't in good conscious just 'leave you in the lurch.' Since Hermione goes where I go, well…" He and Hermione both took a turn to blush.

"You four will be together for the rest of your lives. Even after the bonds are fully settled, you will not want to be separated into groups of less than all four of you, and you will probably satisfy all of your bonds more or less in one go each time." Now, it was _our_ turn to blush.

"We should be able to get dressed for a while for the last of the afternoon and evening. The adults are going to need to figure out how to take care of things for us, and we'll need to be involved. I'm actually trying to be somewhat 'conservative' with the six of us, to avoid the bonds acting up, and having _us_ 'act up' in public."

After checking Luna's thoughts, I said, "We might be moving into the Rookery for a day or two, for the extra room…"

Harry interrupted, "No, we won't, Ron. I'm not saying that to be difficult, but because of the _blood-wards_ that followed me home from the Dursleys. Mum will have to come home as well, at least to check in on us, so that _her_ contribution to the wards keeps up too.

"I don't know _how_ I know, but so long as I am under the 'adult age' in the wizarding world, and I believe myself still a child needing the care and guidance of my parents, still consider the Burrow home, and am still welcome by Mum, that the shields will hold. Even as weak as they were at Privet Drive, they were enough to drive off attacks without our even being aware of the attacks taking place."

Speak of the Mum… I heard the back door open, and Mum ask, "Kids?" She sounded nervous and still somewhat upset, not that I could blame her in the slightest. Sheets covered us and tucked around to allow for 'modesty' without a word. Thanks, Mipsy.

I answered, "Mum? All six of us are in the living room, and covered up. We haven't had Tansy completely set things back to rights with the house yet, but we can if we need to.

She walked into the room, and kissed all four of "hers" on the forehead. She asked me, "Ronnie? Do you know how to cast the pregnancy detection charm?"

I answered, "I do and did. Ginny is expecting one, and both Luna and Hermione are expecting twins. I'm…"

She kissed me on the forehead again, and sat down facing us. She said, "We're all rather upset, but it's with the timing and the difficulties the six of you will face, not any of you. Even if you had the opportunity to stop the bonds, it's not something you should have stopped lightly, if at all.

"The magic of the bonds, from what we understand, makes _all_ of you more magically powerful, and sometimes has magic _itself_ give the occasional boon.

"The land this house sits on now has protective wards over it that almost rival Hogwarts itself, though they will only last until Harry is seventeen or eighteen, or so. These wards were originally installed in Surrey, fairly close to London, and there was _no way_ they could have been moved. Yet, the wards _moved themselves,_ including their multiple ton per stone set of ward stones.

"We are trying to figure out how to deal with things to get the four of you already enrolled back to classes, and the other two enrolled. Once you lot are able to go out in public, we'll need to get Luna her wand and both Ginny and her their school supplies."

Ginny said, "One of our 'box wands' chose Luna Tuesday while we were playing, and Xeno got both of us regular clamoured holsters, too. That _is_ ok, right Mum?"

Luna added, "Great Uncle Garrick said that the wands chose us completely, so they're as good as they get, Molly."

"We'll still need to get your uniforms and ma… ma…"

The four of us were up like a flash to comfort Mum as she started to break down. Fortunately, Mipsy was even faster with the nightshirts and nightgowns. Thanks again, Mipsy. Harry, Neville, Hermione, and I were in nightshirts. Ginny and Luna were in nightgowns. With the mood, getting "pointy" wasn't an issue.

After Mum got her emotions back under control, she said, "Even with all the good the bonds will do for you, it still hurts and makes you feel like a failure as a parent to say that you're helping two ten year old girls, and one who isn't quite twelve, to shop for maternity clothes."

Neville said, "How should I address you now? With Ginny and Harry bonding, you are now _publicly_ part of Harry's family, and thus are allied more closely again with House Longbottom, even more so than Mum and you being fourth cousins with the same maiden name."

She replied, while still hugging Harry and Ginny, "Molly and Arthur are still fine, Neville. Unless you've sent a message, your Gran probably doesn't even know yet, and we're still trying to figure out how to tell Hermione's parents."

I said, "While I might otherwise check with Croaker first, he and Lady Augusta are related, so I'll just send her an _Adfero_ directly. Let me do that while you check that the Floo is open, Mum?"

I wandlessly cast, " _Adfero Augusta Longbottom_ Lady Augusta, we need you to Floo to the Burrow at your earliest possible convenience. I have important news for you that is best delivered in person. Thank you. _Adfero._ "

I asked, "How long before we have to get starkers again, do you think, Neville?"

He replied, "We can probably get fully dressed now, or at least Ginny and Luna. We'll want to keep as much skin-to-skin contact, preferably affectionate contact, for as long as possible. But with your message, we won't really have time…"

The sound of Lady Augusta arriving in the kitchen interrupted Neville. We walked into the kitchen, which by now was already set back to rights.

Lady Augusta was just brushing some ash off of her dress, while carrying a decently large sized tin of Floo Powder with her.

She said, "Good call on the Floo, Ronald. I would _not_ have wanted to Apparate through intent based wards right now, though I am also happy for the news if not the timing.

"Your Great-Uncle Algie figured that you'd want me to know, so he told me this morning. _Enid_ will wait to read it in the society pages, of course. Please introduce the new Lady Longbottom."

He replied, Gran, this is Lady Hermione Longbottom, nee Granger. Hermione, this is Lady-Regent and Lady-Dowager Augusta Longbottom, my paternal grandmother, and the woman who is raising me from toddler-hood on."

Hermione curtseyed, and kissed Lady Augusta's offered hand. She said, "Thank you for welcoming me into our family. Though I am not from a more 'expected' background, my parents are the Muggle equivalent of Healers who specialize in the healing of the mouth, so we have some money. Neville and I will see to it that I learn what I need to learn quickly, so that I can stand by his side as solidly as his Mother stood beside his Father."

"Well spoken, Lady Hermione. I am guessing that Neville and you _need,_ as well as you are still _needed?"_

Neville answered, "Yes, Gran. Mipsy has also been most helpful. Can you spare Odo as well?"

She answered, "Seeing that Odo is actually a Potter house-elf, he will be delighted to serve. Our alliance is more than strong enough that we may continue to have our house-elves intermarry at their desire, as we always have done."

In my first lifetime, that Harry and I hadn't ever figured out what became of the elves, once he figured out that at one time his family had had some. But that was ten years after the battle of Hogwarts, and they may well have all died off, even if that Neville's family had taken them in.

Lady Augusta called, "Odo?"

"Odo answers Lady Augusta's call."

Lady Augusta called, "Harry?"

Harry had been 'listening in' in the background, so he brought Ginny around the table with him to stand with Lady Augusta. He asked, "First, Odo, do you want to come back to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter? Second, how will this affect Mipsy and you, since I think you're married? Third, if you do 'switch over,' how do we do this?"

"If Odo may speak to young Master for Mistress? Odo and Mipsy will stay where we are needed, with places to sleep in both Longbottom Hall and wherever Master has us do Master's bidding. When not doing Master's bidding, we house-elves stay wherever convenient to both Master Peverell-Potter and Mistress Longbottom. Odo would be most happy to serve Master Peverell-Potter's house again. If young Master and Mistress Longbottom wish it, Mistress Longbottom will guide young Master."

Harry replied, "Odo, Master Harry is fine. You will also help Mipsy with Master Neville and Mistress Hermione, Mistress Ginny, Mistress Luna, and Master Ron."

He asked, "How do we do this, Lady Augusta? And does my Deputy Seneschal know about the rest of the Peverell-Potter elves?"

She replied, "I've continued to keep them with his knowledge and consent, since without you available, we had no one to transfer the house-elf bond to in any case. Even with your magic, you will not want to take the bond of any more than Odo right away, anyhow. You can have Odo direct the other Peverell-Potter elves as you need, with them remaining at Longbottom Hall until you have more time to figure out everything else. The only difference is where they sleep and whose base magic sustains them. If you know the name of any Peverell-Potter _or_ Longbottom house-elf, you may call them at need. Mipsy is Neville's personal elf, and unless you have a sizable estate to take care of, you generally only _need_ the one, if they're any good and they're healthy. Between the twelve Longbottom elves, and the ten remaining Peverell-Potter elves, it's a challenge to give them all enough work."

She continued, "Bonding _our_ elves is a little bit different, since we more or less _do_ share them. Place your hand on top of Odo's head next to mine."

He did, and she continued. "I, Lady-Regent Augusta Longbottom, return the primary house-elf bond to Lord Harry James Potter, the Head of House of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter, while keeping the secondary. Continue to serve well, as you have done.

"Now, Harry, repeat after me…"

In less time than it takes to describe, Harry had the return of his family's still fairly young Chief House-Elf. Harry told Odo, "Go catch up with Mipsy. She will explain how she has helped. By the way, how do I set it up so you can draw money from my vaults?"

Odo answered, "If Master places the key on top of Odo's head and taps it with his wand, Gringotts will recognize that you are my bonded Master and that Odo may withdraw and deposit to Master's vaults for Master's business. Should Master also send Odo to Seneschal Lupin to tell him?"

Harry answered, "I will have you stick around with Mipsy for right now in case we need both her and you. I will send a spell message to Remus to let him know. Odo disappeared, and Harry ejected his wand from the holster in the living room and sent the _Adfero_ to Remus.

Lady Augusta spoke again. "Though the time could have been better, magic works as and when it does, so congratulations to all of you. Are any of you ladies not expecting yet?"

All three of the ladies blushed scarlet. Not that there _is_ a polite way of asking, and she _did_ have the right to know.

Hermione answered, "Lady Augusta, Lady Ginerva is expecting the first Peverell-Potter heir. Luna Weasley and I are each expecting twins. Due to the timing of our 'monthlies,' we expect all five children to be sons, but they will be welcome blessings whatever gender they actually are.

"Do these soul bond things require or at least allow for an actual marriage ceremony? If so, then we should want to do something before the end of the year. If they also allow for 'white' weddings, we should want that as well, since only Harry and Ron were not virgins."

Lady Augusta gave Neville a rather curious look, Harry, and me even more so. She looked Hermione in the eye, and _smiled._

Lady Augusta replied, "It's 'Gran' when we aren't being formal in public, Hermione. Magic has truly chosen well for the both of you.

"As for the ceremony, Neville and you can plan it with your fellow-bonded, and we'll figure out how quickly we can have it or them. Ron and Harry might want a _very private_ formal ceremony as well, or not. They can figure it out. If I'll be needed later on this evening, Neville, have Harry or Ron send me an _Adfero_ with the time and location. I'll be on my way to let you get back to whatever you needed to do." She Floo'ed back to Longbottom Hall, just as Pandora Lovegood knocked at the back door.

Mum let her in. Her composure was slightly better than Mum's was, but not by much; not that I blamed her. Luna guided me toward Pandora, and she hugged both Luna and me, barely holding back a sob.

She said, "I've had a king-sized bed with a bookshelf headboard, mattress, and bedding delivered to the Rookery, since you'll need it. Molly and I haven't figured out where to put it _here,_ yet. With the wards, you will have to live here now."

Odo appeared. "Master Harry, Tansy is still here from Hogwarts, and is _very_ good at fixing rooms. Mipsy and Odo are here to help as well. Elves will need permission from Master Arthur first, since it is his house, but Elves can make the room bigger without damaging the house."

Mum said, "Odo? I can give permission as well, and I give you permission to make your master's room here larger, and set up the new bed in it. If you lot can also make Charlie's old room bigger if it needs it, and put the bed that's in your master's room into Charlie's old room. Also, put the house back together like it was before Ron had you set it up for the meeting.

"Elves will do this," Odo answered before disappearing. The doorway was now a doorway again instead of an open wall, all the Burrow furniture was back where it belonged, and the Hogwarts furniture was gone.

Harry and Ginny walked up to Pandora, hugged her, and kissed her, each kissing one cheek. Harry said, "Thank you for the new bed Pandora; and thanks for thinking of me, too. Since I can't sleep on the outside anymore, and I'm not good with wandless summoning…"

Pandora hugged Harry and Ginny back a second time, as the rest of us kids thanked her for her generosity and effort.

Dad came home by the back door, with Xeno, Croaker and Dumbledore in tow. The Headmaster spoke first.

"Seeing a cold stove in this house is a rare sight indeed. Tansy, if you can have a supper for sixteen sent over?"

The food appeared. As all of us took seats around the table, Dumbledore spoke again. "This won't be a meeting as such. However, there a few things we have to decide upon almost immediately. The first thing is the information about the soul bonds between the Longbottoms, Potters, and Weasleys, not counting the 'secret' bond between Harry and Ron. I would recommend releasing the information and announcing this mid-day on Saturday. This will allow us time to tell the other three Weasleys at Hogwarts, and Hermione Longbottom's parents, before everyone else finds out. This will also give us the opportunity to do whatever we end up doing to house you, as well as admitting Luna and Ginerva to school."

I said, "I agree. Unless Croaker feels differently, we'll do it then. Can you send Professor McGonagall an _Adfero_ or a note via Fawkes, and have my brothers Floo home for a few minutes?"

The Headmaster replied, "I anticipated that, and they are already waiting in my office with Professor McGonagall. After we finish talking about things they are _not_ to know of, they will be able to come home to the Burrow for up to two hours, before Flooing back to my office. They _can_ be sent back sooner, though you will probably want them to visit the whole time."

"The second issue is your housing while at school. Part of that depends on whom you intend to raise your first children."

I answered again. "We actually talked about this earlier today. While we will desire all of our parents' help every bit as much as we will need it, including Hermione's parents; we _will_ raise our children ourselves. While our schoolwork and training for the resumption of the war are important, and will not suffer, our _children_ are just as important, and that includes them realizing from instinct and daily interaction that they actually _are_ our children, not just a rather taxing 'present' to their grandparents. Hermione and Luna are both expecting twins, and Ginny one, so that's _five_ children between the six of us. We have also decided that we will remain living in the same quarters for mutual assistance for the duration of our time at Hogwarts, as well as here at the Burrow during the summers so as to have our children protected by the blood-wards, for as long as they hold."

Dumbledore replied, "Very well. This will take us until the end of next week to arrange. You will all live here in the mean time?"

Harry answered, "We live here anyway, Headmaster. Why would we move, except to go to a boarding school?"

The Headmaster replied, "Fair enough. Your rooms will consist of a living room, kitchen-dinette, squad room, and three bedrooms, along with an en-suite. You will be expected to take as many of your meals in the Great Hall when you can this year, and visit your house common rooms from time to time. After this year, you will need to appear mostly just at the major feasts. The castle house-elves can provide baby-sitting services if you don't bring your own elves and need it."

Neville said, "Headmaster, Harry and I will both be bringing one elf each. They should have no problems working with the school elves. Mipsy will be my elf, and had no problems. Odo has returned to Harry's house, and should also get along well."

"The final thing is lessons. For all the regular classes, you will be given the time to make up the material, even in Potions class. However, there is one practical lesson that you are required to take as soon as your bonds are stable enough to allow. Fortunately, the property here is already warded for it, and your bonds appear to be stable, so there will be no problems.

"On Monday next, Madam Hooch our flying instructor will come by along with Professor McGonagall, to give the six of you at least one flying lesson. We are required to do this by the Board of Governors whether you already know how to fly or not. But, it's also part of an afternoon flying.

"Professor McGonagall and I will tell your parents in person, and will let you know when we have set a time up with them tomorrow afternoon or evening. Neville and you both will need to go with us. While we will make every possible effort to diminish their shock and confusion, they are their own people and will react how they will. However, your marriage is already recognized as legally binding in the Muggle world as well as the wizarding one. Unlike almost all other forms of marriage, a Soul Bond _cannot_ be annulled due to lack of age or lack of parental consent.

"Finally, Garrick Ollivander made and confirmed an interesting discovery while working on the Longbottom wands earlier today. In addition to being wands, the majority of the souls of Frank and Alice Longbottom are also still in the wands, and still tied to their bodies as well."

Everyone gasped in shock, especially _me._ But Dumbledore continued before the shock could truly set in.

"While there is a Dark spell that has some similarities to what has happened, this is not that spell. Their souls are still intact, and still have _some_ connection with their bodies. I am working on a spell that the six of you young people may be able to cast _together,_ that will return their souls to their bodies, and in turn _may_ see them leaving St. Mungo's more or less sane and healed within a year of our casting the spell.

"However, there is no guarantee of success, either. Their souls may completely depart once freed from the wands, leaving them as if they had been given the Dementor's Kiss. Or, the spell may cause their bodies to die upon casting. While we have time, we don't have a _lot_ of time before all hope is lost, and we will have only _one chance_ to cast that spell.

"Reconditioning the wands actually helped us greatly in our efforts. Not only did the reconditioning allow us to discover what had happened in the first place, but also the reconditioning actually made it _possible_ to try reversing the damage and setting the elder Longbottoms back to rights. Does anyone have any questions?"

Everybody declined. The Headmaster said, "Croaker and I will leave you then. Your siblings will come through the Floo right after I leave through it."

Dad interrupted, "Wait, Headmaster. How did you get Hermione past the wards?"

The Headmaster replied, "We came in via Fawkes. I had forgotten all about the wards."

Dad said, "You'll need to take her out to the gate post with Fawkes, so I can key her in to the wards. Otherwise, she's stuck here."

He explained to Hermione, "I had a _very powerful_ set of wards put up at Ministry expense right after Peter Pettigrew was caught. The wards specifically block any and all Animagi or potential Animagi from entering or leaving the property. An Animagus is a wizard or witch that can take the form of an animal. Phoenixes can easily bypass most wards, along with whatever they are intentionally carrying. But otherwise, if you have the potential to become an Animagus, you will not be able to leave without Fawkes taking you, since our wards also protect our Floo connection.

A pair of "sensible-twelve-year-old-girl" knickers, a pair of jeans, a pair of socks, and a pair of trainers appeared in Hermione's lap. She had everyone turn around for a moment, while putting on her clothes, leaving on her borrowed nightshirt tucked in for a top. A jacket then appeared which she put on as well.

"Thanks, Mipsy." she said.

She then inquired, "Headmaster, Arthur? May we take care of this now?"

The Headmaster replied, "If Arthur is ready, there is no time like the present." He summoned Fawkes, had Dad and Hermione grasp the phoenix's tail feathers along with him, and they vanished. Two minutes later, they arrived back in the same way. Hermione was holding her finger, but she was also smiling.

Croaker finally spoke. "Harry, I'll give you at least a few more days before deciding on joining. Your soul bond is also too fresh to want to administer the oath. Hermione, I am Algernon Croaker. I am Neville's Great Uncle, and head of the Department of Mysteries. Welcome to the family, and do _not_ mention me to any of the three other school age Weasleys, or anyone else not present here either. Neville will explain. Have a good evening, everyone."

Croaker walked out the back door as Remus Lupin and Sirius Black entered. Dumbledore left via the Floo. Fred, George, and Percy replaced him in mere moments.

I announced so that our five new visitors could all hear. "We had new soul bonds happen this morning. While Harry and I are still bonded, Harry is now also bonded with Ginny, I am bonded with Luna, and Neville Longbottom is bonded with Hermione, nee Granger. Stand up please, Hermione?

"The two people by the door are Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Sirius is Harry's godfather. Remus is Harry's Deputy Seneschal, and is still actually doing almost all of the work. The two red-headed bookends are my older twin brothers Fred and George, whom I'm sure you saw in the common room once or twice, and Percy is the oldest of us siblings here, as well as being the fifth year male Gryffindor Prefect.

"Everybody, this is Lady Hermione Longbottom, the soul-bonded wife of Neville Longbottom, and a very smart girl.

"Our bonds are already consummated, though not completely stable. All three girls are pregnant, Luna and Hermione with twins. We didn't 'ask for it.' Anything other then 'congratulations,' especially if you're a schoolboy named 'Weasley,' and you get to find out just how far a random Portkey made by an angry eleven year old without using a wand will take you!"

I sat down, poured myself a saucer, and drank deeply. Luna asked in my mind, _"Angry much, Old Man?"_

" _No, Lady Gold. But they would have given the Brat and Lady Red no end of grief, had I not stopped them the second they left the Floo. If I_ am _angry, they were no more and no less than a convenient target."_ I replied _._

Harry and Ginny ran past their brothers to the door, and were in a 'group hug' with Remus and Sirius. Mum and Dad were looking adrift and forlorn, when _two_ stags left the living room at a trot, one for each parent.

"I love you, Mummy" the one that came to Mum said. It nuzzled, or perhaps whispered into Mum's ear before it faded.

"I love you, Daddy" the other one told Dad, and did the same as its sibling.

"First-Harry's" secret to success in politics, to the degree he was involved, was that he never lied when speaking in public. I suppose that was also why he stayed out of politics as much as he could.

Not wanting Mum and Dad to feel neglected, I stood and walked to they were sitting. I hugged both of them, which they returned. I said, "I love you, Mum and Dad. I'm sorry that I had to be reminded to tell you."

Mum just hugged me tighter. Dad did as well, and said, "Take care of those you call your own, son. Even with the unique ways you've found to get in to trouble, I've _always_ loved you, and I've _always_ been proud to claim you as my son." That was good for a kiss to the cheek of each of them, which they returned.

The tension more or less faded, and we visited on into the evening. The first to leave were Percy and the Twins. Professor McGonagall was obliged to fetch then, since _everyone_ had lost track of the time. Hugs were shared all around the room, and then they Floo'ed back to Hogwarts.

Sirius and Remus were the next to leave. Harry had introduced Odo to Remus, so they could make better use of the Potter and Longbottom house-elves. I later learned that Remus was looking to lease both ex-Dursley properties based on demand to whoever wanted them on a short-term basis. The Woodmancote estate would be more of an 'upscale' hunting lodge, whereas he would lease the Privet Drive location to those who had extended business in the City. Little Whinging was on the major rail line in to London from the southwest, and the prospects looked good. The Obliviators had also gone to town on the 'locals.'

The bus crash in Brixton was the talk of both towns. along with the highly resented nephew who was orphaned by terrorists, but was taken in in-spite of a near-legendary falling out between the wife of a Managing Director and the wife of an up-and-coming MI-5 agent and middling nobleman _anyway,_ because it was the right and proper thing to do.

The borderline abuse of their nephew was borderline scandalous. However, the townspeople had to admit to themselves that few would have done better than Petunia Dursley. Every day, she had to face the eyes of her once adored sister who had wounded both she and her husband so deeply before managing to be murdered in her home by a mole whom she _should_ have caught. The nephew was now in an exclusive boarding school in Scotland. The nephew's family had _finally_ stepped up to the wicket after _only_ ten years, so, it was all 'working out' in the end. I could only hope that James and Lily Potter would approve. I could give a rat's arse about the fucking Dursleys.

Xeno, Pandora, Dad, and Mum left next. Mum said, "We'll leave the lot of you here for what will need to pass for a 'honeymoon,' though a lot of that has already happened. Between Ron and two house-elves, I doubt than any of you will go hungry. _Don't_ destroy the house, and what ever the lot of you get up to, have it packed upstairs before 10:00 tomorrow morning! I'll be back around eleven to check on you lot, and make lunch and start dinner.

All six of us were in on the hug and thank fest before Xeno, Pandora, Dad, and Mum left ten minutes later. We were far more grateful for the show of trust, affection, and support then we were about fourteen hours of 'anything goes.' We all knew that it had to be tearing them up knowing that we had the relationships we had, but more so at the ages we had them.

The six of us sat down at the kitchen table. A good-sized assorted tray of sushi came into the kitchen, with three tokkuri and six glasses of what appeared to be a cross between limeade and crème soda.

Neville said, "I forget what the Brazilians call it, but it's Brazilian limeade made with condensed milk, cane sugar, limes, and water. I'm not sure how well it will pair with the sushi tray, but it _is_ good, and I hope will make up to the girls that we're having sake and can't share it with them."

It was good, whatever the name of it was. Neville, Harry, and I only had the one tokkuri each, but all six of us had two glasses of the limeade. While we were talking, none of us, except for Neville, had noticed Hermione getting angrier by the moment. She got our attention quick enough, though.

"Harry, it's beyond 'bad form' to 'test-drive' your big sister's husband before throwing her the keys. And, Ron went along with it. And, it's even 'worse form' to get caught by what passes for your big sister's mother in law.

Neville muttered, "Must have been Valentine…"

Hermione said, "What. The. Hell. Is. _Valentine_?"

Neville answered, "Gran's buzzard familiar. His name is Valentine.

"Last century, even Muggle women of means would have songbirds taxidermied and mounted on to their dress hats. Some wizarding women still do.

"If you see Gran's dress hat, she has a complete buzzard on it. But the buzzard isn't taxidermied, he's only stuffed. That bird is such a glutton it's a wonder he can still fly! He does a really good "stuffed bird" act though, so Valentine rides along on top of Gran's head.

"She must have had him flying around yesterday. He would have passed through the wards easily enough, and I was rather distracted with other things to be looking for him."

"Fair enough," Hermione answered. "But the three of you are still going to make it up to me!"

"Old Man, Little Brother, you will strip your big sister in the living room, so that Neville can put 'Trevor' in the hole again.

We all went into the living room. The house-elves had cleared it out again and laid the sheet on the floor. They also left the tube of 'jelly' handy. Harry was just as nervous, and embarrassed, come to that, as I was. I _think_ that Hermione was going for that, though.

Ginny and Luna were watching nervously, and Neville was more debating with Hermione in her mind, than paying attention.

Hermione looked at Harry and me, and sighed deeply. She answered, "Ok, guys. Apologize for your getting caught, and you're off the hook."

Harry quickly hugged Hermione, and kissed her on the cheek. He said, "Thanks, Sis! Ron and I really _are_ sorry we got caught like that, forgive me?"

She answered back, "I forgive you, little brother," and kissed his cheek in turn.

Putting in my two Knuts, I said, "I'm sorry we got caught and embarrassed you, too. If I had known that Neville's Gran had a buzzard familiar, we'd have found someplace else if we had done anything at all."

"Fair enough," she answered, and shook my hand.

"You two and your reactions have also convinced me that I can 'trust' you, since Harry _really does_ see me as an older sister, and that you accept that you and _I_ were never married."

Turning to Neville, she said, "You though, _mister,_ still owe me one, in the bum, right here and now, while our hosts get to watch!"

And, that's what they did. She had him undress her by the numbers, leaving just her trainers and socks. She took off his nightshirt, and they each kissed the other on the mouth, and a bit lower. She got down on her hands and knees, and Neville removed her trainers and socks.

Neville lubed her up, then himself. I noticed another nightshirt at my feet along with a nightgown I was still much more comfortable seeing worn than removed. Ginny was on her stomach, so Harry could hold Hermione's hand while he was otherwise "occupied."

I turned to face a Luna who had removed her nightgown without my realizing, and was now pulling my nightshirt over my head.

She said in my mind, _"I'm getting jealous with all the other sex in the room. I've also shrunk in 'the back.' Make me bigger?"_

§§§

We all took care of our bond mates, including Harry and me doing it with each other. We rotated through the showers again, brushing teeth in the loo and hair in the living room. After one more tokkuri each for Neville, Harry, and me, and one more limeade each for the girls, we finally made it up to the bedroom, me again carrying all of our wands and holsters.

The bed was just as advertised. The headboard was a one rank bookcase that ran the width of the bed, with a flat shelf on top.

Harry said in awe, "I won't have to sleep on the outside to get my glasses…"

"Or wands, not that _I_ need them that desperately…" I added. Mum and Pandora had gone all-out with this. For that matter, so did Tansy. The room actually had more open floor space than it did last week, with an eleven-year-old virgin and a twin bed in it. There was even enough space between the "far side" of the bed and the wall to fit a smaller nightstand and to allow someone to enter or leave the bed from that side as well.

We pulled down the comforter, blanket, and sheet to get into bed. We were all sleeping nude, which under the circumstances was wise as well as 'nice.'

As Ginny got in first, I said, "It's six to the bed. If you need to get up later on, be as easy as possible about it. If you get 'crawled over,' get over it. While all of our parents, including yours, Hermione, will continue to help and support us, the six of us in this room are our first and likely best help for the problems we'll face together in life. We might not always get along, but we must always _try_ to get along, for all of our sakes."

Mrrow! Mew!

Lucky Boy decided to stop in and say 'hello,' and brought a guest. It was an orange ball of fluff, appeared to have just been weaned, had a very flat face, and bowed legs. It figures.

I asked, "Is he your son?" Lucky Boy nodded his head.

"Can he use the human loo yet?" He shook his head there.

"Will the old locations for your litter pans be good for him?" A nod of the head was my answer.

"Does he know not to pee on things when he's old enough to look for girls?"

Lucky Boy looked at the orange fluff ball, who was now loudly purring in Hermione's arms and uttered, "Grrmroow." The fluff-ball answered with a timid "mew." My familiar looked at me and nodded.

As I wandlessly opened the window, I asked Hermione, "What's his name?"

She thought a moment, and answered, "Crookshanks. He's _so_ adorable!" Crookshanks 'mewed' his agreement, while Neville winced.

Hedwig soared in at that moment, and landed on the bed next to Harry. Ginny and he got out of bed from the far side, and got some owl treats out from his trunk. The second owl perch appeared by their side of the bed. Hedwig moved herself to the perch and ate, while soaking up Ginny and Harry's attention. Luna and I sat down on the bed and petted Lucky Boy, who was in a rather affectionate mood.

We weren't able to get to sleep until two in the morning, which I suppose is "par for the course" for a wedding night, though had we limited ourselves to _that_ , we would have been asleep an hour earlier or more. We were able to sleep in until almost noon.


	12. Chapter 12 Flying

Edited 5 June 2018

 **AN 1:** Vashti Bunyan's _Train Song_ is a real song, quoted here under "fair use." You might want to play it in the background during the passage where it is mentioned.

 **Chapter 12, "Revelations" where Ron learns of flying…**

Eleven forty-five in the morning arrived with little fanfare other than Mum knocking on the door and telling those of us who woke up to wake the rest and come down for brunch. As we boys started getting dressed, Luna got Ginny's and Hermione's attention.

"Girls, we're going to need to wear 'vanishing pads' most of the time now, since we are probably going to be horny and wet a _lot._ After we have our kids, they're also good for 'monthlies.' I'm saying this out loud to squick out the boys, and also for Hermione, who probably hasn't had her 'witch's class,' where they teach the Muggle-borns how witches deal with the monthly visitor, removing unwanted hair, and so on."

The girls were gathered around a trunk that had shown up overnight, which most likely was Luna's, now. Only Neville was bothered at all, and he was more _relieved,_ than nervous! He said quietly to Harry and me as the three of us put on our Auror Holsters, "Ron, _please_ thank Luna for me! I hadn't a clue other than Muggle razors. And while 'au naturel' was awesome for our 'first time,' I would rather the bushes only grow around 'Trevor's holes' sooner rather than later."

He winced as if being shouted at, and said calmly, "You know, that 'privacy' thing _does_ work _both ways!_ At least don't call me out when you're eaves-dropping? Oh, and _Trevor_ says 'hi.'"

Hermione blushed purple, and turned back to a giggling and mirthful Ginny and Luna as they got their knickers adjusted. Luna must have decided that 'Gold' would be a workable substitute for our favourite knickers for her; 'tan line.' I also caught enough bits of their talk as we guys finished putting on our shirts.

I spoke in her mind, "They _will_ grow with you carrying our children, but _relax._ You only have to impress _one_ guy now, even if you do like to look 'nice.' If you _ever stop_ impressing me, I'll let you know. Otherwise, even when I forget to remind you, you are the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth."

To remind Harry that _he_ was equally impressive, I finally gave him his 'good-morning' kiss. The wordless affection pouring from both bonds at once made my head spin!

Once I regained my balance, the lot of us attended to one last errand. I told everyone, "My trunk is _not_ friendly if you aren't 'keyed in' to its wards. Since _everyone_ here either has a 'right' to go into my trunk at need, or knows someone who does, I'm going to key the lot of you into it. Just, respect my 'privacy' the same way you would want yours respected, please?"

Everyone nodded solemnly as they queued up to get keyed in. They appreciated my trust _far more_ then the lance and eight zaps the trunk exacted from each of them to grant them access.

With that last errand accomplished, we all headed downstairs. We guys got the loo first, and were out fairly quickly with clean teeth and empty bladders. The girls took a little longer, but in the end we were all seated around the table with Mum eating a mix of breakfast and lunch foods. All six of us had larger appetites then we had previously experienced, and all the food was politely but quickly eaten. Harry and Ginny went over to the sink, as the rest of us brought the dirty dishes. While we all worked, Mum told us of our plans for the afternoon.

"If you lot are up for it, Sirius, and Remus will be taking you to Diagon Alley to get your shopping done. Ginny and Luna will need Hogwarts uniforms, and regular clothes. They'll need some 'help' from Madam Malkin as well. Croaker already cleared it, since all three girls will need uniforms with special charms once they start to 'show.' Harry will also need a 'regular' wardrobe, both magical and Muggle. You won't be able to visit Gringotts until Monday to do your banking, since that will likely take the whole of the morning. You will need to do it then, though, to make sure all of your vaults are in order."

She handed me two keys, and said, "Here's you keys for the 'comic book money' and your work vaults. Your Dad and I haven't take so much as a Knut, and won't now. And while I'm _still_ not that happy about who _really_ paid for your trunk and uniforms; under the circumstances I'll let it go as part of the 'wedding gifts.'

"Anyway, it's a quarter past one, and Sirius and Remus will be here in fifteen minutes or less. They already know to have the lot of you back no later than half-five, so you have time to 'clean up' and have supper. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall will be here at around half-seven to collect Hermione and Neville, to take care of meeting with the Grangers.

"While I would _not_ recommend the rest of you going, that is Hermione's and Neville's call, since Neville was there for us, and it's only fair we return the favour _if_ Hermione and Neville both want you involved. Your Dad and I were _not_ pleasant company when the Headmaster told me about Ron's and Harry's bond; and we _grew up with the legends._ The first the Grangers will know about 'soul bonds,' is their _almost_ twelve-year-old only child coming home _pregnant_ from one, and announcing that she is moving out of her parents' home."

Neville and Hermione looked at each other, and then both looked at Harry, who checked with me via our bond. I told him, _"I'm with you,_ always _. Please never doubt it."_

Neville looked at Mum, and said, "They will go with us, Molly. The Grangers need to know that they have not lost a daughter, but have gained _two sons,_ though only one of us has been or will ever be _intimate_ with their daughter. Harry is my brother in all save blood. He has magically 'adopted' Hermione as his older sister. I will _not_ see her hurt!"

I added, "Mum, I may well know how to 'handle' Ian and Michelle Granger. If not, I'll at least try not to 'muck it up,' and I will _know_ that I did all I could, if things truly stay 'pear-shaped.'"

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin chose that moment to knock on the kitchen door. Mum let them in, and said in greeting, "The two of you are early. They haven't even written their lists, yet."

Sirius replied, "No worries, Molly! A lot of the stuff will be making up for ten years of missed Christmas and birthday presents for Harry, anyhow. We'll be sure to have them back by half **-** five."

Remembering our new "family member" from last night, I asked, "Hermione, where's Crookshanks?"

She answered, "He crawled up into my lap while we were eating breakfast. Why?"

"Because Lucky Boy doesn't appreciate 'commerce' the same way humans do. He probably 'nicked' Crookshanks from the Magical Menagerie. If so, we _will_ need to pay for him, as well as get his potions. If not, Crookshanks will _still_ need his potions, and we'll have to figure out where he came from. We won't send him back, but I'll not have us thought to be thieves. You'll want to bring him with you anyway to bond with him more closely."

"NYaaah."

I looked down at Lucky Boy, and he sent me an image of the Magical Menagerie at night, with him coaxing Crookshanks into vanishing out of the cage and down to his feet.

I announced, "Ok, Lucky Boy just told me that Crookshanks _did_ come from the Magical Menagerie. So, I guess that's our first stop?"

Harry asked, "Are we getting my clothes today, too?"

Sirius asked in return, "Do you need clothes?"

I answered, "Yes he does, and yes we are. His trainers don't fit, he's wearing my socks, and we're both borrowing y-fronts from Neville. With how quickly everything has happened, we haven't had time to even owl-order anything."

Harry said, "Should I get your trunk then, Ron? Since we're going to have a lot of stuff, it might be easier than having each merchant shrinking parcels."

I said, "You will want to get your vault key as well. While I'm pretty sure you won't be paying for anything, it will be nice to have.

"Also, Remus, after Harry and I come back downstairs, we need to have a 'one minute overview' of how Harry's vaults are set up. He'll also want to tie Odo into his trust vault."

Remus replied, "Fair enough. Run upstairs and get your stuff, and come right back down."

Two minutes later, we were back, along with two pairs of socks. We'd all come downstairs barefooted. While Harry and I were asking our questions, we also checked with Luna and Ginny. They were going to wear sandals. So, Harry and I put our socks on while fetching his vault key and my trunk, and grabbed a clean pair each for Neville and Hermione.

With everyone fully dressed, Sirius said, "Remus and I will side-along Apparate Hermione and Neville to the Leaky Cauldron, since Hermione won't be able to carry Crookshanks through the Floo. The other four of you will wait for us to Floo call the Burrow before coming through. Hermione and Neville, you will also be wearing glamour hoods before you leave." He handed all six of us each what appeared to be a cross between an invisibility cloak and a cloth bag.

"The rest of you will put the hoods on _immediately_ after stepping out of the Floo. When we're out on the street, you will keep the hoods on. Inside the stores, if I give the ok, you may remove the hoods. Since none of you need to visit Ollivander's, this should be fine. The rest of our stops except for the Magical Menagerie will be expecting us, so the shopkeepers will have no problems. While the glamour hoods are not illegal, they are the magical equivalent of walking into a Muggle shop wearing a ski mask – not a very good idea, and particularly not in Gringotts."

Remus added, "Harry, we'll bind your trust-vault key to Odo after we get back. Like Ron said, it's 'our' treat today."

Sirius and the rest went out the kitchen door, and were gone with two "cracks." We got the Floo call about a minute later, and stepped through.

Harry had his hood on before he even stopped rolling. Ginny and Luna were more relaxed, as was I, but we were also "glamoured" before we could be seen by the light crowd. We stepped into the alley, Sirius opened the wall, and we stepped into the Alley.

Our first visit was the Magical Menagerie. Sirius stuck his head in first, then waived Hermione, Neville, and me in. Tyus's shop isn't really that big. I had Harry ask Remus to take the rest into Scrivener's for the girls' stationary, reminding him to have Remus get at least four penknives.

Back in the Magical Menagerie, we removed our hoods, and I stepped up to the counter. "Good afternoon, Tyus? Lucky Boy brought us a 'gift' from your inventory last night without asking me first. I'd rather pay for the little orange fluffball than return him, and we'll also need whatever else we should have bought had we purchased the kitten today."

He answered, "Well, you _are_ a true 'Alley-Rat,' most would have quietly kept it. He was the one I thought wouldn't sell anyway, so ten sickles total for the kitten, carrier, collar, lead, and large bag of kitten kibble. He's already current for his potions until Christmastime, and fairly hardy."

Before I could place my money on the counter, Sirius placed a galleon on the counter and asked, "How much extra to pay up-front for the six-month potions?"

Tyus answered, "Two sickles, including well-kitten check-up. While we do on occasion send potions owl-order for Hogwarts students, we prefer to actually check the animal ourselves to make _sure_ it's in perfect health."

Sirius said, "Then keep the change with my best regards after paying the thirteen sickles, for your trouble."

Tyus replied, "Thank you kindly, Lord Black. And Ron? Tell your familiar to _stay away_ from my cats and Kneazles unless I write you and ask for him."

Lucky Boy appeared on my shoulder and made an insulting noise. I said, "And no antagonizing Tyus either, Lucky Boy. I'd rather your luck _not_ run out over ill-timed romance!"

He spoke a resigned, "Mrrah." and vanished again to whatever he was doing.

I told Tyus, "Sorry about that! How often _do_ you have calls for Korat Kneazle stud service?"

He replied, "Not nearly as often as he shows up! The trouble is, he sneaks in so I don't know until after the fact, and I'm unable to 'prove' it was him for the kitten's papers. If I can actually prove in the normal manner, where the owner brings the Kneazle in and leaves it in the breeding stall overnight, the kittens fetch seventy galleons, eight and four. When he just "shows up," at best for 'pet grade' Korat Kneazle kittens, I can get seven _teen_ galleons, two and nought. But he doesn't care for other Korat Kneazles; he tends to go after other breeds, and cats, too.

"The mother to your friend's new kitten was actually here to get _spayed._ I had to wait a week because the mother was also ill and needed a potions regime to be well enough to spay without problems. The morning I came in thinking on spaying the cat so I could have the owner pick it up the next day, I found Lucky Boy in the act, with the female having obviously 'enjoyed' his company the entire previous night! Fortunately, the owner wasn't really as attached as they thought they were to the young cat, to the point that one galleon three and twelve later, the now pregnant cat was mine, and the former owner was only slightly miffed.

"It could have been worse. With the orange one with the crooked legs sold, that's the last of the lot including the now-spayed mum, so I made a galleon instead of losing one. What's his name, anyhow?"

Hermione replied, "Crookshanks" as she fastened the collar and lead to him.

"It fits," he said. "Just don't let him learn _all_ of his sire's tricks, please?"

"I'll try," Hermione answered as we put the rest of the purchases in my temporarily resized trunk. With trunk shrunk and hoods on, we left the Magical Menagerie.

The rest of our shopping went fairly quickly, considering. We got two sets of first-year books for Ginny and Luna, and six copies of Horace Slughorn's _Potions Ingredients Interaction Guide,_ which I had forgotten to purchase, despite knowing the need. Harry did get the additional penknives bought, along with the rest of the required stationary. We also got scales, telescopes, cauldrons, and I restocked my pain-relief potions, buying additional ones as well, along with restocking the ingredients I'd used to brew the pain relief potions two weeks ago. Ginny had Bill's old trunk, and Luna had a trunk from "somewhere."

Sirius had us detour by Quality Quidditch Supplies, and bought nine new Nimbus 2000 brooms, along with broom servicing kits. While this would be fine for Monday, I could already hear Mum screaming when she saw just _how many_ of the brooms he'd bought.

Madam Malkin's was a little more complicated. Fortunately, she was not a gossip, nor was her help this day. All three girls left the store with additional clothing beyond their Hogwarts uniforms. All of it, including the uniforms, was charmed to be wearable up to when they gave birth, depending on how much they grew.

Harry and I also bought two weeks of y-fronts each, additional silk Hogwarts Vests, and additional shirts for Harry. Harry also got two new pairs of trainers that actually _fit,_ and insisted that all six of us get a pair of Birkenstock sandals.

I went along after Madam Malkin assured me that they would also be charmed to "grow" up to a full size larger if needed. He also got a complete new regular wardrobe including matching 'work clothes' to mine for the wand shop, and assorted coloured t-shirts for casual wear. Harry changed into the trainers before we even left the store, and binned the ones he'd been wearing. Sirius made sure that I didn't even hear the final bill, much less get the chance to pay it.

This being our last stop, I asked Madam Malkin if we could use her Floo to return to the Burrow. She gave us permission, and Sirius sent all of us except for Hermione through, after asking what kind of toppings we preferred on ice cream sundaes. After a few moments debate, we all decided on hot fudge to make things easier for Sirius and Remus to deal with.

After the five of us Flooing made it back to the Burrow, Remus Apparated Hermione and Crookshanks back, and was off again. Six minutes later, Sirius and he returned bearing nine sundaes, and were let in to the kitchen. Mum thanked Sirius for hers, cautioned the six of us not to let the treat spoil our appetites for supper, and we enjoyed our treats, after Sirius told us to keep the glamour hoods for now.

Three hours later saw us waiting nervously the last ten minutes until half-seven when the lot of us would be Portkeyed to Belvedere. Neville had actually bought the silk vest and wing-collared shirt he was _supposed_ to be wearing, along with a robe with the Longbottom crest for the Heir Apparent. He was wearing a stud and cufflink set borrowed from his Father. Harry and I were also in our school uniforms, with Harry wearing studs and cufflinks from his grandfather. The girls were all dressed in nicer conservative dresses with matching flats.

Headmaster Dumbledore knocked on the back door. We opened it and went outside. He was accompanied by Professor McGonagall, and Croaker, who spoke first in greeting.

"The lot of you are dressed properly, which is good. We aren't bringing along Lady Augusta, since she can be a trying individual.

"Lady Hermione, are you a confirmed Catholic?"

"Yes, I was confirmed early once the Pastor found out I was going to a boarding school."

He asked, "Which Parish did you attend?"

"Our Lady of the Angles" she replied.

Croaker asked, "Are your parents active parishioners?"

She answered, "Not particularly."

Croaker stated, "Once we get to the point of having things smoothed out, your parents and you will want to change over to St. Benet. The pastor there, Father Cormac, is a Hufflepuff alumnus who went into the Catholic Ministry after graduating from Hogwarts in 1963. As I understand the way Catholicism works, you may have a 'service,' but not a Mass, since Neville hasn't yet even started converting to that faith, if he even plans to. However, the normal waiting period for a Catholic Marriage can easily be waived in this case, since Fr. Cormac is a wizard and knows that there will be no divorce or request for annulment, which is why that faith now requires between six and eight months request in advance for any wedding ceremony. Do you intend to convert, or at least think about it?"

Neville answered, "I will think about, but I will prefer that Hermione and I discuss this with Father Cormac. Having him in our vest pocket may also work if Ian and Michelle Granger completely 'blow up.' If that is the case, we will need to talk to Fr. Cormac to accompany his Muggle counterpart at Our Lady of the Angels to make a parishioner visit.

"But talking religion right from jump might not be such a good idea. Your thoughts, Ron?"

And, here's part of why I'm going along. While I don't know _this_ Dr. Ian and Dr. Michelle Granger, I _did_ know _a_ Dr. Ian and Dr. Michelle Granger, so I had _some_ idea of how they would react.

"Neville, I would have the _honest_ answers ready if you are asked. I would also remind them that you support _Hermione's_ choices, including her choice to remain on good terms with them if at all possible. They will be upset if not angry, but it will be because they _care_ for and _love_ Hermione, and will see the present condition as a failure to protect her as they should have.

"Has anyone _thought_ to involve Father Cormac?" Amazingly enough, I got head-shakes all around.

"It's still twenty to seven. Why don't we at least _try_ to see if Fr. Cormac is available? If whoever is enchanting the Portkey can read the location from my mind, we can go to the pastor's house on the off-chance he is available?"

This is exactly what Dumbledore, who was the only one who could reliably read the location from my mind did. Two minutes later, we rang to bell to the 'Residence' door of the Rectory. The door was almost immediately answered by Father Gabriel Cormac. He was of average height and slender build, and was still in his cassock He asked, "What may I do for you this evening, and won't you come in?"

We entered, and I spoke. "Father Cormac, I'm Ronald Weasley. I'm somewhat familiar with you by reputation. Do you know of the Doctors Granger off of Horsa road?"

He replied, "I know _of_ them, but they're in Father Mann's parish, or at least they _were._ Whatever news you bring suggests that they will be changing parishes. I had to help Father Mann get the Bishop to confirm their daughter early, and I believe that's you, Hermione?"

Hermione answered, "We _did_ wonder how Father Mann was able to make that happen. From what I believe, he doesn't know about 'our' world?"

"If you mean the wizarding side of our world, no he does not. If the Bishop tells a Muggle priest about the wizards, it's usually not until they've been in public ministry for ten years. If he gets a Priest of wizarding background, we already know. I suppose this is a wizarding _and_ religious issue?"

Hermione herself answered. "Yes, Father. Do you know what a 'soul bond' is?"

He answered, "I _have_ heard of them."

She replied, "I am now Lady Hermione Longbottom, and carrying my first two children. My husband, Lord-Heir Neville Longbottom and I are in a soul-bonded marriage. We were about to inform my family, when Seneschal Weasley suggested that a clergyman such as yourself might be of assistance in comforting my parents."

Neville added, "I also, once the immediate turmoil is settled, hopefully without Hermione losing her parents, wish to learn about the Catholic Faith. It was important enough for her and her parents to go through a considerable effort to get Hermione confirmed before she entered school. While she and I are both in an emotional blender, I will not rob her of her chance to continue practicing the Faith, and would like to be married in this parish should we succeed in the next few minutes.

"However, we _do_ need your help in this. Were we not soul-bonded, we are too young to be married otherwise, at least under any circumstances that even resemble 'normal.' I have yet to meet the Doctors Granger, or they me. Yet their not-quite twelve year old daughter and I, through no active fault of our own, are now more solidly and eternally married than _they_ are.

"Seneschal Weasley, and his Liege-Lord, Lord Potter, are also soul-bonded to their wives. These marriages took place in the early hours of yesterday morning, at a speed much faster than previously observed. Our magical parents and guardians are supporting us, but it is also giving them a great deal of distress, and they have all grown up in wizarding society. The Grangers didn't even find out about magic until last October. So, someone familiar with both wizarding and non-wizarding society, and a clergyman as well, _should_ be able to offer some assistance and comfort, should this even be available. Will you please help us, Father?"

Father Cormac spoke to the Headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore, I wish this was under better circumstances. I'm out of practice Apparating, and need to fetch my wand. While I'm fetching my wand and 'call bag,' please set the Portkey to the Grangers' house. I'm guessing your appointment was for the top of the hour, and it's five till now."

Two minutes later, Father Cormac made sure he had everything he needed, donned his Biretta, and locked the door. We Portkeyed directly to the Grangers' lawn, and rang the bell at precisely 6:59.

Ian answered the door. He was almost six feet tall, of average build, with thinning brown hair and eyes. Michelle was behind him, standing about five feet and nine inches tall of slender build, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Both Grangers were even more worried than they had been seeing the priest with Professor McGonagall, who started off the conversation.

"Doctors Granger, you daughter is alright, but has experienced a life-changing event. May we please come in?" Ian and Michelle allowed us in, and silently guided us to their lounge. Everyone tensely took their seats about the room, except for Father Cormac and me. Professor McGonagall spoke again.

"Doctors Granger, if you recall our last discussion in June, I explained that the magical world had many arcane phenomena. Your daughter has encountered just such a thing. While this phenomenon. While her health is not in any physical danger, her age _does_ complicate matters, more so in your world than in ours.

"There is a rare kind of marriage that is not sought; rather it is given by magic itself. This type of marriage is actually quite desirable because you are paired with another who is almost _totally_ compatible with you in every way. However, it _is given,_ not sought, and it is given when magic itself sees fit.

"Normally we only see one such marriage every several generations world-wide. However, _three_ such marriages happened yesterday morning. And, when these marriages happen, the couple is quite literally compelled by magic itself to consummate the marriage by conceiving their first child. Out of the six people involved, your daughter is the oldest person so married."

Both elder Grangers were speechless in fear. Professor McGonagall continued.

"The good part of this news is that all three boys involved are well-off financially, and will only increase in wealth as the years pass on. Your daughter's husband also supports her completely in her education and ambitions, and as the heir to our equivalent of a major peerage will insure that every door your daughter approaches _will_ open to her talents.

"However, this _is_ a legally valid and un-breakable marriage under Muggle law, just as it is a legally valid and binding marriage under magical law and magic itself."

Father Cormac added, "Doctors Granger. I am both a Catholic Priest and a wizard. My parish is St Benet, just up the way a bit. I can add that even the Pope is unable to annul this marriage, or at the least that if he has such ability and authority that he will refuse to use it. I am here to offer counselling to the both of you, and to your daughter and son-in-law. I have spoken to both your daughter Hermione and her husband Neville. They both wish to remain part of your family just as they are now both part of his.

Croaker finally spoke. "My name is Algernon Croaker, Doctors Granger. I am a high official in the magical government. I can assure you that despite her young age, your daughter will be able to carry her children to term, and deliver them healthy without suffering any harm to her own health. I can also assure you that our government will do anything within our power to improve the means of communications between your daughter and you so that you can remain part of her life."

Ian and Michelle started to cry silently. From my experience with their counterparts, this was not a very promising sign. Hermione ran to her father and embraced him, sobbing "Please don't hate me…" repeatedly. The rest of us either sat or stood in silence.

Michelle, meanwhile, asked Fr. Cormac, "What are we supposed to _do,_ Father?"

He answered, "As painful as this circumstance is because of their ages, all you _can_ do is support your daughter _and her husband._ They have both expressed a desire to have a sacramental marriage. We can hold a sacramental marriage service whenever you, your daughter, and your son in law wish. The normal wait is to ensure that we do not celebrate an invalid marriage. However, under the circumstances, with their magical marriage _already_ being ecclesiastically valid, the wait can be waived completely. Your son in law has already expressed interest in joining the church. Providing he does not _prevent_ Hermione from practicing the Faith, and does not prevent Hermione from raising your grandchildren in the Faith, then there is no impediment to a sacramental marriage service."

"But what do I tell the rest of the family…" Michelle asked.

Father Cormac responded, "Tell them that you love and support your daughter and her new husband."

Hermione, who had been paying attention to her mum even while crying in her dad's lap added, "And you can tell the gossiping old biddies that I didn't even _kiss_ my husband before we were married in the other ceremony. If that doesn't shut them up, then tell them that I won't be able to attend their divorce hearings, because I'll be at my _anniversary party_ with _the same husband I started out with!_ "

She went back to crying when "Prongs" made an appearance, walking to her, nuzzling her ear, and fading _into_ her. He told my in my mind, "Better than a cheering charm, Old Man."

Not to be outdone, Neville finally spoke. "Doctors Granger? I am Lord Neville Longbottom, and I am heir apparent to the equivalent of an Earldom. With my father and mother being casualties of the last war, I shall take over the Regency of my family once I've completed my Hogwarts Education. The ghostly deer was sent by my close friend and political ally, who is one of the other two magical marriages from yesterday morning, and his Chief Seneschal is the third.

"While we _all_ wish we were meeting under more 'socially acceptable' circumstances, I still am honoured to meet you, and hope that I may find comfort and shelter in your family as my wife and your daughter find in mine." He approached Ian confidently but respectfully and extended his hand.

Shocking everyone, Ian actually shook Neville's hand. He asked, "How would _you_ handle this if it were _your_ daughter?"

He looked Ian in the eye and answered, " _Very carefully,_ with love and compassion. None of the six of sought the bonds we now share. Last week at this time, we were all still _children;_ two of us weren't even looking forward to starting Hogwarts for another year. Today, we are spouses and parents _ourselves,_ the claims of the calendar not withstanding.

"Our magical guardians are every bit as concerned as you are, and _they grew up knowing at least something about these things._ _We_ are concerned, and we are living in the bonds and feel the rewards as well and the difficulties.

"The only way we _can_ move is forward, _together._ We ask that even as frightened as you are for us, that you _help_ us move forward. _Please._ " Neville knelt before Ian.

Ian looked at him carefully. He then relaxed just slightly and said, "Get up, Neville. I can see that the both of you intend to see this through no matter what.

"I am your father in law, Doctor Ian Granger. Your mother in law is Doctor Michelle Granger. While we _aren't_ happy, we will 'get over it.' Do you play golf?"

Neville answered, "I have yet to try the game. If that is how you relax, I will try to learn the game."

"Well-spoken, Neville. What about Hermione's GCSEs?"

"Ron Weasley, his wife Luna, and Harry's wife Ginny passed theirs after self-study this last spring, getting very high marks in all of their tests. Between their experience, and hiring tutors to come into Hogwarts and work with us over the summer, Harry, Hermione, and I hope to equal their results before graduating Hogwarts without harming our magical education. We will actually be sharing a suite of rooms to allow for this, as well as to allow for us keeping custody of and properly raising all of our children. Our lives will be rewarding, but they will _not_ be easy or allow us to not do our best every day."

"How will we communicate with you?"

Harry spoke up. "My name is Lord Harry Potter. I am the Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter. For the time being, I have a post-owl familiar, and my Chief Seneschal has a _very magical_ Korat Kneazle familiar. Both are able to quickly move the post. Mr. Croaker will also provide options as they become available. Getting Muggle technology and magic to behave well together is not easy, and is not always possible.

"We will all also make every effort to visit as frequently as our schedules allow. While I have no idea yet how frequent this will be, we will do what we can. Hogwarts by normal design is a boarding school for non-married students. Headmaster Dumbledore is already being obliged to make many changes and exceptions to the school's normal way of doing business insofar as those ways affect us. Also, Father Cormac, do you have a Floo at your home?"

"I have the ability to have one turned on. We can set up a schedule to allow for you to come through the Floo, since unlike Squibs, actual Muggles can not communicate by Floo, though they _can_ travel via Floo if they are being held by a magical person."

Croaker announced, "Regretfully, all of us need to leave with the possible exception of Father Cormac?"

Father Cormac replied, "I can find the place by car now that I've been here a second time. I will need to check the answering machine and drive back if you need me further this evening?"

Michelle replied, "No, Father, we will be good for tonight. When do you think you will have your Rectory Floo turned on?"

He replied, "That depends on the Floo Authority. Mr. Croaker?"

"I can Apparate you back to your Rectory, and we can make the appointment there, Father."

Ian asked, "When will we see the two of you next, Hermione?"

Croaker replied, "Probably Wednesday evening, after your regular practice hours. Headmaster Dumbledore will make the arrangements. Also, for reasons including the privacy of your daughter and son in law, the "official" announcement has been held back until Noon tomorrow. Your copy has been removed from the queue to preserve the privacy of your address, and here it is." Croaker handed Ian the notification letter.

"Finally, there will be a protective security guard watch kept on your home for at least the next few days. While the last Dark-Wizard War was ended ten years ago this coming Halloween, there are still a few ill-tempered individuals out there that have yet to be caught. While the chance of there being any difficulties is very low, we are taking NO chances. Does anyone have anything else?"

No one did, and Croaker Apparated out with Father Cormac. Headmaster Dumbledore said, "Professor McGonagall will be in touch. Hermione will, I'm sure, write you notes from time to time. If you have an answer handy, or if an immediate reply is expected, the post-owl or Kneazle will wait for it. Have a good evening."

With that, everyone grabbed the hoop, and we were once again taken to the Burrow. Mum and Dad had waited up for us, and let us in as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall left directly from the back yard. We told them that everything had gone as well as was expected, which it had. They left us alone, saying that they would be back to check on us the next day at five o'clock in the afternoon, and that either Harry or I should send an Adfero if they were needed sooner. Although it was only nine in the evening, we were all tired from the shopping and the emotional stress. We undressed and went directly to bed.

§§§

Saturday the seventh turned out to be a grey but unusually warm day, with a high of 28 degrees Celsius. This is just as well because of what Harry, Ginny, and Luna came up with. First, they insisted that we get up at six am and just get dressed on our shopping clothes from yesterday, but wearing the sandals instead of trainers and socks, and that Ginny and Luna would wear shorts instead of skirts. After we got dressed, brushed our teeth, and ate, I found out what the excitement was about.

Harry had viewed Ginny's memories of flying, and decided he wanted to try. So, we _all_ went out with six of the new Nimbus 2000s, and Luna and I tried to get Neville and Hermione flying. After about an hour, they were _flying,_ and Neville hadn't fallen and broken anything, which was good. However, they _weren't,_ having any fun, so Neville had Mipsy bring two lawn chairs so they could watch. Luna and I flew a few laps to make sure all four of us understood the limits of the privacy wards. This was at eight o'clock.

Meanwhile, Ginny and Harry had switched from insane aerobatics to insane aerobatics while hitting each other with colour changing charms. They were using low enough power that the spells would fade well before lunch even without a finite. Neville and Hermione were watching, and starting to get bored. So, Harry motioned for all of us to come down.

"I have an idea for a game to play," he said.

"First, all four of us who _like_ to fly know the limits of the pitch, and the two of you on the ground can see us, right?" Hermione and Neville both nodded.

Harry said, "We can play a version of tag between the boys and the girls. Wands only, _Old Man._ Can you transfigure two whistles?"

I picked up two rocks, and transfigured them into whistles, giving one each to Neville and Hermione.

Harry continued, "Ok. The girls and boys will take turns chasing each other while flying side by side. The chasers will try to touch the back of the person being chased with their wand and leave a colour changing charm for up to a minute per turn. If both chased players get touched, they stop and drop one piece of clothing. The same gender person on the ground also needs to remove the same piece of clothing. After losing a piece of clothing or going one minute without both chased fliers getting tagged, the fliers switch over and start again. Chased players get a two count head start, and must keep moving. If either of you fly outside of the pitch, it's the same as getting double-tagged. Sandals count for two; clothes are removed from the bottom up. Sound good?"

Hermione asked, "What do the losers have to do, Harry?"

He answered, "Make an offer the winners think is good enough. Anything done is done within our bonds only."

Everyone agreed that was fair enough, and decided to give it a try. Ginny and Luna went first. Two seconds later, Harry and I took off.

Flying in close formation was easy. I flew on the right and flew like hell, and Harry kept up since he was by far the better flier. Ginny and Luna were doing the same thing. None of us had to say a word, bond or no.

Luna wasn't used to the broom quite yet, so Harry and I added a burst of speed and touched their backs with our wands. Their shirts got tagged blue, and Hermione blew her whistle.

We flew back to the end closest to the house. Luna and Ginny each toed off their right sandal at Neville's feet. Hermione reluctantly did the same. Ginny said, "Cheer up, Hermione. It's our turn next!"

That it was. With the blast of the whistle, Harry and I were off. We flew all-out, and just barely managed to avoid being tagged before the whistle blew.

We flew back to the start again. "Best not count your chickens, eh Gin?" Harry taunted. She blew him a raspberry in response.

It was our turn. The whistle blew; we counted to two, and lay flat against the handles of our brooms. We caught them before they got half-way across the pitch, and actually had to slow down a _lot_ to only touch their backs instead of poking them hard.

We flew back to Neville and Hermione. Neville had gotten bold and had Hermione let _him_ remove her sandal. Luna and Ginny toed off their remaining sandals, dropping them at Neville's feet. It was a good thing we had them marked. The girls were now barefoot.

It was their turn to chase again. About thirty seconds into the chase, we were quickly approaching the edge of the field. Harry made a quick turn to the left. My turn ran wide, and I was entirely out of the pitch. Hermione and Neville both blew their whistles. Harry and I flew to the end of the pitch, with Ginny and Luna close behind, saying, Are those _chickens_ I hear, or just guys getting their sandals taken away. Luna flew below me as Ginny flew below Harry. They tickled thee soles of our now bare feet before flying away with their prizes. Hermione had Neville on his hands and knees and swatted his bum once with each of his sandals, then with each of ours. Now, _we_ were barefoot, too.

It was our turn to chase. Payback is such a sweet thing. Harry was distracting them by shouting 'fake' turn directions to me, which had them flustered. We hadn't actually said _anything_ to each other yet. We were rapidly approaching the end of the field, with Harry shouting, "Break left! No, break right!" I almost missed his pointing up and over his outside shoulder. Almost. I flew a perfect mirror to his Immelman, and bled off speed in tandem with him.

Luna and Ginny not only missed the edge of the wards for the Quidditch Pitch; they almost over-flew the _road_ before they got turned around and back onto the field. That was their "double."

We flew back to the end of the pitch and hovered. Harry asked, "Hey, Gin. Can you hang over your broom like this?" He demonstrated hanging over the handle with his arms on one side and his body on the other. She did, and he removed her shorts and knickers in one go, kissing her bum and the soles of her feet as he went. Luna was also able to do it, and I wasted no time stripping her. Neville undid Hermione's jeans and had her get on her hands and knees to remove them. He had her stand back up, pulled her knickers to the ground, and had her step out of them. We'd occasionally flew outside of the wards of the pitch without getting caught before. Just the same, we were all quiet for the next few minutes.

Their turn. They herded us toward the corner of the pitch. They were trying to "fake us out" with fake calls like Harry did with them. They were actually watching Harry closely, as was I. I heard Harry giggle in my mind, which wasn't that reassuring, since I was only watching _Harry,_ and _not_ the boundary of the pitch. More unfortunately for Luna and Ginny, they made the exact same mistake. We didn't realize it until the whistles blew, and we flew back to the start end, with Harry laughing riotously the entire way.

"What the _hell_ was _that!"_ Hermione exclaimed.

Between laughs, Harry answered, "Keep your shirt on, sis! No, wait… since all four fliers went out of bounds before the whistle blew, each team loses two pieces of clothing. So after Red and Gold nick our trousers and y-fronts, you _don't_ keep your shirt on, or your bra!" He was off laughing again, and we all joined in, except for Hermione.

Harry went first, hanging over the broom while hovering over the girls' stack as Ginny undid his trousers and let them drop. She pulled his y-fronts down to his feet, and he let them drop the rest of the way. She then rose up next to him and gripped the handle tightly with her legs as he eased off her shirt, and unhooked her bra. She let the bra drop, and was flying naked with him. They flew in a circle as Luna and I did the same thing. She of course was wearing two tops instead of a top and a training bra. Off they came.

Hermione was down to her bra. We didn't think to say one way or another about the extra piece of clothing. Ginny put paid to it quickly enough, though. "Hey, Hermione, you're the only girl with clothes left, so you need to get on your broom and get up here. It's the guys turn to chase.

She chewed her lip, sighed, and turned her back to Neville. "Unhook me, please?" she asked. With her bra on top of the pile, we all landed to find out what the girls would offer.

Luna suggested, "How about us three girls fly three laps around the pitch?"

Hermione refused to get on a broom. She said, "I'm afraid of heights; can I just run around?"

Ginny said, "That's too tame. How about _all_ of us girls taking it in the bum from our guys while riding together? You can run around for _that,_ Hermione, can't you?"

Hermione was blushing, but she was also smiling as well. "Who has the 'jelly?' We can't have Trevor out too long, or he'll go on walkabout again."

"Why do you call _it_ Trevor?" Ginny asked.

"That's how I _met_ Neville, Ginny!" she answered.

"I had just finished changing into my uniform, and was opening the shades in the compartment when there was a knock at the door. I opened it up to find Neville Longbottom, crying like he had lost his last friend on the face of the earth."

"Well, at the _time,_ Hermione, I thought I _had._ Somehow, you decided you liked me anyhow, but I _still_ had to find Trevor. I had less than zero confidence for a lot of reasons, see? So, Hermione helps me hunt up and down the entire length of the train for something like four hours. But, as time went on, I realized that this pretty girl was also pretty _smart,_ too! And, she didn't mind hanging out with me, either. I felt even better as I realized that I knew a lot of stuff that she _didn't,_ and that I was following along with her explanations of the stuff _she_ knew that _I_ didn't!

"We ended up meeting Ron and Harry towards the end of the train. We get to talking, and I realize that I'm talking to the _real_ Harry Potter, and the _real_ Hand-Cast Ronnie, and that Hermione hadn't a clue! And instead of acting like imitation Malfoys, that they were _real_ people! I felt something that I couldn't identify with the two of them, but it was because I doubted I had the magic in me to feel _anything._ Or, so I thought.

"Do you guys remember what Headmaster Dumbledore said about my parent's wands? We didn't know that yet, and I was sent to school using my Dad's wand, with part of his soul lodged within it, and was actually trying to _cast spells_ through the wand.

"Ron let me try his second wand, and from that second, I _knew – there was nothing wrong with me except for my confidence._ I was really a wizard!

"With that came the realization that Harry and Ron had already sealed a soul bond, and by the feel of it, it was going to be off the charts! But, I _couldn't_ tell them, because they probably wouldn't have believed me. But, back to Trevor. Ron taught Hermione a quick spell to zero in on him, and we had him found inside of ten minutes.

"Ok. Move forward to Thursday Morning. We ended up going out into our clearing because there really wasn't anyplace available. I'm in my nightshirt, undershirt, and y-fronts. She started out in full uniform. I get naked, and she gets as far as she can. She ditches the flats, the knee-socks, and her knickers. She gets the skirt off, and says, 'to hell with the rest, and let's _go_ already.'

"At this point, we were losing control, and _badly._ But as she lies down on the ground, and I'm about to enter her, she says, "Ooh! I've found TREVOR!" because at that point I had just pushed it in her, and _hard._

"We kept going, getting her out of her clothes as we go, and she keeps calling out "TREVOR!"

"Finally, after we climax, and we get our breathing under control, she reaches under the small of her back, and pulls out a toad! It wasn't _Trevor,_ but how would she know when it was under the small of her back.

"When we were ready to do it again, I told her, 'Don't look now, but here comes TREVOR!' Through the rest of the morning, we just kept calling 'it' Trevor, and the name stuck."

We gathered around Harry, who had dug a tube out of his trouser pocket. He put a dab on the tips of Hermione's middle two fingers, and in the palm of her hand. She took care of herself, "Trevor," and then backed on to it. He did the same for Luna and Ginny, capped the tube, and walked over to his broom to get ready to mount.

Those of us flying had to straddle our broom, get it in, and get flying. Luna's and my flying wasn't nearly as acrobatic as when we were flying side-by-side. Harry and Ginny were crazy. They both came after about five minutes. Luna and I came right after, but more from the feedback from Harry than anything we were doing. We landed, and Luna dismounted.

Harry came up behind me, stretched my cheeks apart _hard,_ and slowly pushed it in. I was instantly hard again, even with tears in my eyes.

"Remember me, Old Man?" he asked. "Gin said ' _all_ ' the girls! Us, too, since we take turns.

"Wrap your legs around outside of mine, get your feet behind mine, and stand on the stirrups."

He stood on my feet and we _flew!_ We did manoeuvres on that broom that I hadn't seen before; while I was holding on for dear life and he was hammering my arse like it was an anvil! We lasted about four minutes, and made sure we were not overflying anyone when we came. He flew us around and landed.

But instead of quitting, he said, "Switch!" and got in front of me. Ginny put a dab of 'jelly' in his hand; he slicked me up, fingered some into himself, and backed on. He had our positions completely reversed, and took off again.

He was flying the broom again this time as well, and backing on to and off of me like he really meant it. So, while once again holding on for dear life, I was the hammer this time, and his shouting had a different, if still happy tone. We lasted for about six minutes before climaxing again, and nearly passing out from the intensity.

We finally came down to land, and start getting cleaned up. Ginny and Luna had already gotten Neville, Hermione, and themselves cleaned up using Aguamenti and soap, and were now cleaning the brooms. Fortunately, the brooms actually managed to stay mostly clean, just needing the handles polished. Harry's and my "mount" was the last one needing done. Neville and the girls took care of that, while Harry and I got each other cleaned up.

We looked at, and more importantly _smelled_ the brooms to make sure that we hadn't left any "lingering reminders" of what kind of riding we had been doing. Mipsy brought a plate of sandwiches and pumpkin juice. While Neville usually preferred orange juice, none of us complained. Our lunch was quickly eaten.

Mipsy checked our work on cleaning and polishing the brooms. She gave them an extra "snap-clean," and we polished them quickly before having Mipsy put them away in my trunk.

Mipsy had also cleaned and folded our clothing. Neville and Hermione walked off towards what was now "their" clearing. Mipsy sent their clothes out there for them. It was half-one.

The four of us finished taking care of each other, showered, and dressed again. It was now three o'clock.

The girls sat at the table while Harry and I checked the cooler box and cooker. Mipsy had a fairly good sized pot roast in the oven. Harry told her it smelled great, and asked what time she expected it ready, assuring her that he didn't want her to rush, but only let him know when it would be done.

She answered, "Mipsy will have master's pot roast ready at 5:30."

Harry thanked her. He and Ginny retrieved two of the brooms and went flying again. They left their sandals in the house, but behaved themselves because Mum and Dad were expected home at five o'clock.

At four o'clock, Neville and Hermione walked up to the house. They were still naked, 'clean enough' to make it if they didn't have to touch anything, and were talking in their minds. Harry stopped them and hosed them down with his wand and Ginny helping them. They followed this up with drying charms for both them and the grassy area where they had been standing. They were clean enough to make the loo, with the doors opened for them. Four thirty saw the both of them clean and freshly dressed. Harry and Ginny joined us after Mipsy gave them the use of a flannel to dry their feet.

The girls were drinking tea and we boys were drinking sake when the clouds opened up at ten minutes to five. Mum and Dad came home via the Floo at five on the nose, looking more than slightly tired. Ginny and Harry ran to Mum and welcomed her home. I wasn't that far behind, nor was Luna.

Mum asked, "Where were all of you today?"

I answered, "We were outside in the back garden flying. Were we supposed to be somewhere else?"

"No, just that Lady Augusta Longbottom claimed that the lot of you were at Longbottom Hall, and were not taking interviews."

"How many reporters were camped out at the gates to Longbottom Hall?" I asked.

Mum thought for a moment, and answered, "Just about all of them. Skeeter was _definitely_ there."

"My guess is that we all owe Lady Augusta, we kids certainly do." I finished.

"We even had Hermione and Neville flying for a few minutes." Harry added.

"And who was 'we,' Harry?" Mum asked. He got the vibe just a little slower than everyone else. Fortunately, Dad came to the rescue.

"Molly, Ginny has been flying almost as long as the boys and you know it. She's actually a little better than Charlie was at that age. She basically taught herself while Ronnie was running the eggs and the Muggle newspapers. I kept an eye on her until I was sure she had things under control, which didn't take _that_ long, really."

Mum huffed, and sat down at the table. The rest of us joined her.

Dad asked, "So how did everyone do with flying?"

I answered, "Everyone did alright. Hermione and Neville don't care for flying, but they were able to do a lap of the Quidditch field at a quick trot without any problems. They watched the rest of us fly for a while after that, and then they went on a walk in the woods.

"Luna is a good flier, but not that great. She can fly, and enjoys flying, so no problems there.

"I'm alright myself, but if I went out for Quidditch, I'd be more of a keeper than any of the long-fliers. I am manoeuvrable at slow speeds, but for the long stuff, I'm just not quite that fast. Not that I couldn't _outthink_ other fliers, but I'd be a better keeper than a chaser or a beater."

"You kept up just fine with _me._ " Harry interjected.

"Harry, I was flying all-out, and you were shadowing me _easily._ " I answered.

I turned back to Dad. "In case you didn't figure out, one of the things a soul bond does to you is it allows you to 'read' the memories of your partner, and they you. If it's something that interests you both, it's even more intense. Harry and Ginny got to thinking about flying, so they convinced the rest of us to do it.

"'Reading' a skill from a bond-mate isn't quite the same as learning the more traditional way. I won't say one is better than the other, since I honestly don't know. And it is no substitute for real talent. If you 'read' something you honestly _can't_ do, then you _still_ won't be able to do it, or if you actually _do_ do it, you still won't have done nearly as well as someone who _can._

"Harry is probably the most natural flier I have ever seen. Ginny is great, but Harry is even better, and they'll _both_ get better as they grow up!"

Having an idea, I asked, "Ginny? Have you figured out the _Adfero_ yet?"

In answer, she draws her wand, and incants: " _Adfero_ _Ron Weasley_ What are you banging on about now? _Adfero_ "

Ginny's racing mare makes its appearance, turning around in the living room, and returning to the kitchen to deliver its message before fading into the ether.

Harry sets his wand pointing away from everyone on the table, and wiggles the fingers of both hands in the air whilst grinning like mad. The end of his wand gives the briefest of flashes before 'Prongs' enters the kitchen and walks up to Ginny. Its message was; "That was really mean, Gin, but I still love you anyway." The messenger Patronus nuzzled Ginny's ear as it faded into her, sending her off momentarily into pure bliss. Feeling just a little smug, Harry holstered his wand.

I said to Dad, "Did you notice their forms? Their flying is the same way. Compare a champion racing horse to a champion racing _stag,_ if there were such an animal in real life. Comparing their flying is something like that."

Everyone seemed to have noticed something else, too; which caught their attention more quickly than a ten-year-old girl doing a beyond NEWT communications variant of a NEWT level defensive spell. Starting to feel shy and defensive, Harry asked, "You _are_ all _family,_ right?"

Mum came around and hugged and kissed him, since he was now "one of her own." She said soothingly, "Of course we are, Harry. But we hadn't noticed before that you were able to do that, and it was a bit of a surprise."

"Really?" he asked with shining eyes.

She kissed his forehead and answered, "Of course, son."

She then said more for the room, "Not that a ten-year-old girl and two eleven-year-old boys throwing around spells many adults can't do like they were _Lumos_ and _Leviosa_ spells isn't impressive, either."

That brought 5:30, which saw Mipsy set the table and bring the pot roast. We all ate our fill, which was more than normal for all six of us kids, and there wasn't a scrap left. To 'humour' Mum, we all pitched in to clear the table, and wash the dishes.

After we put everything away, we all went into the living room. Dad and Mum tried a little sake along with us boys. He liked it, she didn't. Harry had Ginny and me get out our guitars, and show him how to play them. Between being bonded to both of us, and actually having a talent for music, he was playing both acoustic bass and six string as well as or better than us within an hour.

He became almost melancholy for a minute, remembering something between Ginny's memories, mine, and his own without letting us know what it was. Then, he began to play.

It was actually one of the songs that Ginny, Luna, and I had to perform for our Music GCSE practical. But his and my experiences brought a new meaning to the words.

"Travelling north, travelling north to find you  
Train wheels beating, the wind in my eyes  
Don't even know what I'll say when I find you  
Call out your name love, don't be surprised

"It's so many miles and so long since I've met you  
Don't even know what I'll find when I get to you  
But suddenly now, I know where I belong  
It's many hundred miles and it won't be long…"

He sang Vashti Bunyan's _Train Song_ complete, and in the same key as she recorded it in the early 1960s. However, he was putting his heart into the song even more so than Ms. Bunyan.

Mum, Dad, and I couldn't help but think about the "other train" he said he would have boarded, had I not found him. I also thought about the pure joy that came into my life, even without me realizing for another three and a half hours. 10:44:44 on the First of September of 1991 would be a date forever engraved in my heart, just as 11:00 AM on the Eleventh of November 1918 would be forever engraved in the hearts of those who lived to see the day.

Luna showed me her memory of the late morning of the First of September. She and Pandora both 'saw' that she needed to see the train depart even if she didn't see me, but they couldn't travel to the station with us. She actually caught the barest glimpse of me, with my being unaware, right before Ginny stopped chasing the train down the platform.

Hermione and Neville were also lost together in thought, thinking about their own journey on the Hogwarts Express, and how it saw them eternally joined three nights and a morning later.

It was a thoughtful and silent bunch of us who kissed Mum and Dad good night, put away the guitars, and silently rotated through the showers. Hermione and Neville fed Crookshanks and Trevor before using the showers first. Harry fed and petted Hedwig and I fed and petted Lucky Boy while we waited. Luna and I went next, while Harry spent more time bonding with his owl, and being in Ginny's company. They were last, and also took longer since Ginny had the longest hair of the three girls, and because he was almost addicted to brushing it.

We finally got undressed and into the bed. Hedwig was on her perch, Lucky Boy decided to lay out at my feet, and Crookshanks was cuddled under Hermione's chin. I _Nox'ed_ the lights, and we were fast asleep before ten-thirty.

§§§

Harry and I woke up alone and on top of the covers, fully dressed, at about 10:30. We were each wearing the _exact_ same clothes as we had when boarding the train, complete to the trainers Harry _thought_ he binned at Madam Malkins. Harry was wearing the mustard-yellow socks, and if my own feelings were anything to go by, we were wearing the exact boxers we had worn when boarding the train as well.

Luna and Ginny must have been watching through the bonds, because they came in at that moment, carrying the picnic basket. Luna said, "Harry seems to be very sentimental, and this is actually your 'one week anniversary.' You had made so much potato salad and sandwich spread that your Mum put it up in the chiller box, and layered a preservation spell on top of that. We've actually had some of the sandwich spreads the past few days, and they were _very_ good."

Ginny said, "Mum baked the bread during the day Saturday at Pandora's. Pandora packed the basket almost _exactly_ like she did the one last week, but she added a second plate of the tuna sashimi, and one tokkuri with two saucers. Mipsy can keep one topped off just as easy as two, she said, but that you needed to make sure neither of you drink too much."

Luna told us, "Mum said you were 'riding the Pullman' today, whatever that means. We'll leave you to catch your train. Unless something comes up, you won't be expected down before suppertime. Neville and Hermione are out in the back garden. She said they were 'looking for Trevor.'" Luna giggled before adding, "I think she'll find him, too.

They both said, "Bye," before Ginny added, "Platform Nine and Three Quarters! Mum can't I go?"

They left, closing the door behind them. It was 10:44:44 exactly.

"Hogwarts first-year?" I asked him. He nodded shyly, and we finally kissed each other 'good morning.'

"What's a Pullman?" was his first question, and in fact his first words of the day, since to that point he was speechless with all the trouble the girls and whomever else was in on it went through for us.

"It's a type of railway carriage that has fold-down beds for the passengers to sleep on. They're named after the American who was wildly successful originally for building and running them in America. They run them on the Muggle side here in the UK still, and the Knight Bus has beds in it at night instead of the chairs they run in the daytime."

"Ok. How much of our train ride are we _actually_ re-enacting today.

I answered, "Well, the Malfoys and us don't get along, so definitely not that. Something tells me that Neville and Hermione will 'find Trevor' long before they get to the sleeping carriage section, so there isn't that either. Mum _could_ come by with a trolley with wizarding candy on it, but I kinda doubt she will. There's just some things you _don't_ want to 'catch' two of your sons doing, even if you know they're doing it."

"Like each other?" he asked without thinking.

We both caught what he said at the same time, and started laughing so hard that we fell off the side of the bed holding each other in mirth.

After we straightened ourselves and each other out, we sat back down on the edge of the bed. He suggested, "Let's check inside the hamper. Hopefully, they left a note?"

We did, and the note was on top. It read:

 _The trolley lady will not be coming by. I've left two chocolate frogs each for you and one box of Bernie Bott's to share. Most of the rest actually went bad and had to be binned. The rest is being enjoyed (hopefully sparingly) by Ginny and Luna. Since this was their idea, and since they managed to do most of it without_ me _knowing, and all of it without_ you _knowing, you owe them that much._

" _Happy Anniversary"_

 _Mum_

Both of us were shiny eyed after reading that.

I said, "I guess we'll talk, eat, treat our familiars, and make love. We'll then clean each other up, go to the loo for a full shower together, then get dressed again and go down to supper. We'll need to 'treat' Ginny and Luna for thinking this up, and for actually _doing_ it, too."

Harry asked, "Does that mean me getting upset and crying on you again?"

"Only if you want and need to, Harry. But I'll be with you _always,_ the bad times as well as the good."

"Can we eat on the floor beside the bed, Ron? I don't want to get crumbs on it."

"Yeah, there's more than enough room." I said, as we moved the basket on to the floor.

He said, "Familiars first?" as he cast the spell to open the window and let Hedwig in. A "Mrrow" from the bed told me that Lucky Boy knew that _he_ had a plate of tuna sashimi waiting on him as well.

We stood up and visited with our familiars. Hedwig had plenty of food in both her "upstairs" and "downstairs" perches, but wanted the attention and crisp streaky bacon Harry had on offer from the hamper. Lucky Boy was more 'cuddly' than he had been in ages. I also noticed the box that he set on the nightstand under the serviette.

Once their 'fix' for attention was shared with us, Hedwig flew back out of the window to go downstairs. Lucky Boy miao'ed at the basket. I took out his plate and set it on the floor far enough away from us so he would have plenty of room to eat. He placed a front paw in each side of the plate, miao'ed again, and vanished plate and all.

"Can we eat now? Better yet, can we start the dares, then start to eat? With all the time I've spent either barefoot or wearing shoes that actually _fit,_ these trainers are driving me nuts, and Uncle Vernon's old dead golfing socks aren't any better. In fact, if we do any more 'anniversaries," which I'm all in favour of by the way, just burn _these_ and get me a pair of ratty Converse trainers at the second-hand shop _that actually fit me_ and some ugly mustard-yellow socks at Tesco's, ok?"

"I guess so. How do you want to do this?" I asked.

He replied, "If I knew you'd have done it, I'd have dared us to remove _each other's clothes_ instead of our own. You dare me to eat the sashimi and share some sake, I'll dare back that we remove each others trainers and socks first, and we'll do it and start eating barefooted."

"Ok, Harry. I have some raw fish and alcohol in the hamper. I dare you to share it with me."

"I dare you to take off my trainers and socks first, and let me take off yours, too." he answered, extending a foot.

"You didn't know I'd go along with it," I said playing along, "but ok."

I removed each trainer and sock in turn, throwing them quietly out of the way, and kissed the tops and soles of each foot as I did.

"My turn," I announced, extending my feet towards him. He did exactly as I did, one foot at a time. We got back to sitting cross-legged across from each other. I passed out the tuna, and set the tokkuri where we both could reach it. Harry got out the saucers, poured for both of us, and got out two pairs of chopsticks. He handed me one pair, split the other pair, and we started to eat. Harry was quickly making good use of the chopsticks.

We both made quick work of the sashimi, drinking two saucers each as we moved along. Beyond the sake, we were sticking with water, since the taste of the pumpkin juice "clashed" with the sake.

I passed out the potato salad and forks, and I set the three sandwiches on top of the picnic basket. I also got out some serviettes to use.

"My turn, again. I dare you to remove my outer shirt and holster, let me remove your outer shirt, and then you remove both of your holsters." Harry said.

I replied, "I dare back that after we do your dare, you remove my t-shirt and let me remove yours. You can put your glasses back on after that so we can eat."

"Deal," he replied. We moved the potato salad out of the way, and stood in front of each other. I remove his outer shirt and tossed it out of the way. I caressed his shoulders, tracing down to his right arm. I removed his holster, set it on the nightstand, and embraced him, kissing him tenderly.

He returned the favour with the outer shirt, minus removing the holsters. He asked, "When can I re-pin your holsters? If I actually _do_ need to take them off of you, I can't right now."

"Harry, we'll do that when we get dressed back to go downstairs. That's roughly when I pinned yours, remember?"

"Yeah, you're right. It stung like mad, though not as much as the cologne! We don't have to redo _that,_ do we?"

As I set my holsters beside his, I replied, "Not unless you want to. But it _is_ rather warm in here?"

He hugged and kissed me, tracing the top of my left foot with his right big toe, and as he moved his hands, he lifted my shirt up. I followed along his example, and we stopped when we both got to each other's armpits. He removed my t-shirt and tossed it to the side. I removed his, and handed it to him. He polished his glasses, put them back on, and tossed the t-shirt to the side. We kissed, hugged, and caressed each other for a minute, and sat back down.

Over sandwich halves, potato salad, and pumpkin juice, we continued to talk. We set the tokkuri and saucers on the nightstand for later on.

"What do you like most about me?" he asked.

I replied, "Physically, your smile. I love _you,_ remember. Though I also love your body too…"

"My _smile?_ " he asked. "I thought that _I_ was the only sappy one! That's my number one for you, though I _will_ admit that I haven't smiled as much as you deserve. Two through five are your eyes, your face as a whole, your feet, and your hands. Your ass and your penis tie for sixth." he finished with a blush.

"Me too, for you" I replied, feeling my face burn as well. We finished the rest of our food _quickly._

I poured the sake, and handed him his saucer. As we started a sip, we both got the bond-warning "Incoming!" We drained our saucers in one go, set them to the side, and we got ready for the intrusion.

-KNOCK!- -KNOCK!—

"Start of an ill-timed corny joke…" Harry muttered as I wandlessly unlocked and opened the door."

Hermione and Neville were both standing there, in their full Hogwarts uniforms, as they were on the train. Neville, though, wasn't nearly so teary, or Hermione so bossy. But they _did_ come in, and close the door behind them.

"These Pullmans must really be hot, 'Stubby.' On the train last week, you were only barefoot, and your friend Ron was still fully dressed. Should I fetch a paracetamol? Or a cloak?"

Harry grumbled, " _Not helping, sis!"_

She walked up, kissed him on the forehead, and ruffled his hair. She did have to get up on tip-toe to deliver the kiss.

While she did that, Neville got a nightshirt out of his trunk. He said, "I thought interrupting instead of sending Mipsy was a little much, too. But we _did_ interrupt more or less now in how far you've gotten. We had a different errand than Luna and Ginny thought, so we're off to 'find Trevor' now.

"Whenever you're done, put on fresh y-fronts and each others clothes, but stay barefoot. Mipsy has already fetched their skirts. By the time you two are done, and you eat 'breakfast for supper,' they will only want to be carried up here and 'appreciated.' They _might not_ stay dressed, and they _might_ want to take care of that part for all four of you _before_ you carry them over the threshold again. Even though they aren't listening in, the _feelings_ are coming through. Luna says that she's already gone through two pads, and that number three is getting close.

"Your mum and dad won't be back until half-nine, and it's just one now, so no worries. Cheers!" With that, Hermione and Neville left, closing the door behind them. I wandlessly locked the door, and raised the privacy charms up as high as I could put them.

I asked, "Now, where were we…"

Harry said, "Let's have one more saucer each. Then, we'll do it more or less like on the train, but just a little bit faster. I don't think the girls realized just how much comes through the bonds. I wouldn't have thought of it either, come to that." I poured the saucers, and we sipped them while standing facing each other.

He asked, "Do you want to stand or sit when we do mouths? The bed is at an awkward height for me, at least."

I replied, "We can stand. Do you want to do bums on the bed or the floor?"

"Let's do that on the floor, on a towel, Ron. The girls won't want to wait that long, and Mipsy has been doing a _lot_ of cleaning up after our sex lately."

"Sounds good to me" I agree as we finish our saucers. "Now, I dare you to pull my trousers to the floor and help me step out of them. And be careful, I 'popped out' half an hour ago."

"Me to" he answered as he undid my trousers. When you wear boxers, at least the cheaper ones like we did, you have to shift them the opposite way of where your penis tends to hang to keep that from happening. I just figured that out on my own. I think that Dad would have told us, if we hadn't gone straight from 'naïve' to 'sexually active,' or at least he would have told you, since the 'sexually active by weird but wonderful magic' is why I _have_ a Dad again. Sirius might have said something, but without 'us' happening, I don't think I would have been meeting him anytime soon, either. By the way, Gin doesn't know the boxer trick either. And I measured it for her right after our shower last night. Or rather, I showed her how to measure one with mine. It's eighteen long by fourteen around now."

"Must have been Luna's idea" I said as I helped him step out of his trousers. "I'm up to sixteen by thirteen and a half."

"Ron, can you just use a severing charm on them? I'm not getting soft anytime soon, and I'm too long…"

"I'm on it." I said as I severed both his and my boxers above the fly through the waistband. He held his up and I did too as I stood.

"Just let 'em drop while we kiss and finger?" I asked.

"Yeah, Old Man." he replied. We let go of the now-dead boxers and held on to each other. We kicked them away as we caressed each other's feet with our own….

§§§

Three o'clock saw us finish dressing each other after we cleaned up in the pan. We even put on cologne, though Harry was _much more_ careful this time around. We also brushed our teeth with _Aguamenti_ water, banishing multiple pans of water. The towels vanished, and the covers turned down as we shared one more kiss before going down to 'breakfast.'

Instead of the work clothes we would otherwise have expected them to want; we were dressed as they asked for. My clothes fit Harry much better than the clothes he had worn to King's Cross fit me. But, the y-fronts kept us 'under control' somewhat better, and wouldn't have to be cut off somewhere between the bedroom and outside the back door. I sent an Adfero downstairs to let the girls know to have 'breakfast' ready. Harry _also_ sent an _Adfero_ along, after ejecting his wand from his holster, several feet away on the nightstand.

I heard through my bond, "Now why didn't _I_ end up with the romantic one?" I wandlessly sent the reply, _Adfero Luna Weasley_ Because you fell for the first pretty ass you saw, but I love you too. Hopefully, this will sink into you on your lap instead of humping your leg. Since it's only a Jack Russell Terrier, it can't reach your ear flat-footed on the ground. _Adfero_.

As we opened the door, we heard Luna and Ginny both break out in laughter, which cut off with "Awe!" from Ginny and silence with a burst of happiness from my bond with Luna.

We entered the kitchen and said, "Good Morning, Ginny, Luna."

They both answered, "Good morning or rather good afternoon."

Luna asked, "How was your 'trip.'

I answered, "Great, but it's good to be home again. Thanks for coming up with it, by the way."

"No problem" Luna answered.

As we each sat down next to our 'lady bonded,' I asked, "Where'd the _Adfero_ go?"

Luna answered dreamily, "He went into my cheek as he kissed me. By the way, if you get your form back, no kissing on the mouth unless you're human."

I answered, "Agreed." as we served ourselves some of the 'fry-up."

Harry asked after chewing and swallowing his first bite, "This is great, whoever made it. Was it the two of you, or Mipsy?"

Ginny answered, "It was Luna and me. Ron's a better cook than I am, but I _do_ know how to cook."

Harry answered, "Me too. Now that I have _family_ instead of _relatives,_ I might actually _like_ taking a turn in the kitchen. While they never starved me outright, I had to do almost all the cooking, and while making enough to feed two whales, never quite got to eat enough to not feel hungry all the time."

We continued to eat. I noticed that the girls made a fair bit of a fry-up, between sausages, streaky bacon, eggs, and diced potatoes. We politely but quickly ate, saying little even through the bonds.

Ginny asked, "Has anyone noticed that they're eating more?"

I answered, "I've noticed that we're _all_ eating more. I'm guessing that the bond is a good part of it, especially for you girls. You're also pregnant, and will need to eat more anyway, especially Hermione and _most_ especially for you, Luna. When we get, or get back to Hogwarts, we can have Madam Pomfrey give us a physical if they don't think to have her give all of us one, anyway."

With our meal finished, the plates vanished. I said, "Thanks, Mipsy."

The answer I got was, "Odo is saying your welcome, Master Ron. Mipsy is helping Master Neville and Mistress Hermione."

We stood as one and went out the back door. As I passed, I said, "Please leave it open until we come back in and close it behind us? Also, please open the door to our room?"

"Odo does Master Ron's bidding" was the reply.

"Thanks again, Odo" was mine.

Harry and I noticed that they were wearing their shorts and Birkenstocks from yesterday. Luna and Ginny handed each of us our pair.

As we put them on, Luna explained. "It isn't quite _our_ anniversary. And we've been so hammered with hormones while we waited that even with you two rushing, we wanted something a little different.

"We will undress ourselves and each other like we did for our game of tag yesterday. You can carry us inside after we all are starkers together, and carry us up to the room. It's a little after half-four, and Molly and Arthur aren't due back until half-nine. But we'll want to be cleaned up again, and wearing regular clothes to share a late supper with them after they left us alone again.

"We might be sharing the loo with Neville and Hermione. They were in the Quidditch field just before you guys came down. She was running faster than yesterday" she finished with a smile.

Ginny added, "We'll just have to improvise a little, since we didn't want to fetch the brooms just to help us get…" Thanks again, Odo.

I said, "We'll get some exercise at least, and I don't want us flying up next to the house. Your turn for the sandals, girls."

They mounted up, and toed off their sandals in turn. We switched.

It was more fun all the way around to just hover as we lost our sandals. Luna was also more affectionate.

Ginny said, "Ok, lean over your brooms!"

We did, as we 'lost' our trousers and y-fronts. We got extra kisses on our feet and bums. We also got a little more. Harry lasted about four minute, I lasted only three and a half. The girls said that we both were 'tasty.'

Luna said, "Ok, let's switch up!"

Ginny added, "You _know_ what to do."

We switched places, and removed their shorts and knickers. We kissed their feet and 'cheeks,' but the _real_ action was saved for around front. On the one hand, while I "knew" what I was doing, Harry didn't other than to "do what she asks." We were also both eleven-year-old boys, and the "unique" tongue "exercises" one needs to do just don't occur to eleven-year-old boys to even try, much less get good at.

On the other hand, we were doing what we were doing in the first place because were already married, with a type of compelled magical marriage that increased our sexual appetites, but also allowed us to share the physical sensations of our partners.

Finally, the girls were "hammered on hormones," and if they had "taken things into their own hands," you couldn't tell right now. They were dripping down to our sternums within two minutes, and climaxed so hard after five minutes that they "sprayed" us, and we _all_ nearly passed out!

They remounted the brooms normally, and hovered just a foot and a half or so above the flagstones so we could remove their tops. After they were starkers, they dismounted and leaned the brooms up against the house. They removed our shirts, kissing us as each shirt came off.

As the brooms and all the clothing vanished, Harry said, "We'll need to know how to 'reward' house-elves for particularly good work on particularly 'unpleasant' jobs. Even if they actually _like_ to clean the types of messes _we've_ been leaving, they'll be doing the sheets _again_ before we go to bed, plus several towels and flannels, and that's _not_ counting whatever Hermione and Neville got in to on their extended 'Trevor hunt.'

We heard "TREVOR!" off in the distance, and almost fell to the ground in laughter.

"Take us upstairs and make _us_ shout, too!" Ginny exclaimed quietly.

As Harry picked Ginny up, Luna added, "Finish the front door before going to the back. We don't want to take a wash break until we're done, and also don't want to set the doorway on fire."

As I carried Luna behind Harry and Ginny, she spoke silently _"Did your 'anniversary' go ok?"_

I replied into her thoughts, _"It went really well, and we had a great time. Thank you to both Ginny and you for thinking of it, and setting it up. It meant more than either of you could possibly imagine to both of us, particularly Harry. He said that if we do anything like that again, to get him an old pair from a second-hand shop that_ fit _."_

Luna sent, _"Ginny will be upset if he did anything to them, even without knowing why they were saved in the first place. She saved the trainers and socks to wear herself. It's a bit mad, honestly, but that why she saved them. We thought of the anniversary thing while we were watching and Ginny was feeling Harry while were at the Grangers Friday. We checked with Molly while the two of you were distracted that night. There would have been no way Ginny and I could have duplicated either recipe. Mum was happy to have Molly over baking Saturday, too."_

We had just entered the bedroom, with me kissing Luna as we walked in. Harry and Ginny hadn't made it to the bed yet, but they were already "busy."

Luna decided to follow her sister-in-law's example, and wrapped her arms around my neck. I grasped her thighs from the outside, and picked her up as she crossed her ankles behind the small of my back. It was a _lot_ harder than it looked, but it was fun…

§§§

The four of us did more than a little bit 'more.' We moved in pairs through the loo, and got dressed again. Harry and I were wearing flannel shirts over coloured t-shirts, and canvas trousers. Luna was wearing a short-sleeved top and lace under-top, with khaki shorts. Ginny was wearing the same, except a training bra instead of a second top. Luna, Harry, and I were barefoot. Ginny was wearing "her" trainers and mustard-yellow socks. They were cleaner now, so Mum wouldn't get upset about her wearing them through the house. They were also slightly too big for her, and probably always would be unless she had them shrunk. Harry was quietly glad that he resisted his first instinct to have me banish them while he watched. He and Ginny were sitting at the table turned towards Ginny. His feet were in her lap, and she was alternately caressing and massaging them. Luna and I sad amused to their left.

Hermione and Neville had come down from their shower not two minutes ago. They were both wearing fresh nightshirts and bathrobes. Odo and Mipsy had a pork roast with potatoes, carrots, and celery in the oven to come out any minute. It was eight twenty.

"So, Neville," I asked, "what errand did Hermione and you have this morning?"

"We went to see Ian and Michelle this morning at nine-thirty in nice 'regular' clothes. They were much better after having had a day or two to get over the shock. They're leaving it up to Hermione and me whether we want a Church wedding, but said that they would pay for it if we wanted it, and provided that we get help from Croaker to make 'attitude adjustments' where needful. We had breakfast in Greenwich, and got back about ten minutes before we 'interrupted' you."

Mum and Dad came in through the back door just then. They took off their coats and joined us at the table. Dinner was served, including tokkuri for us boys, tea for Mum and Dad, and pumpkin juice for the girls. They had been to Xeno and Pandora's again.

The six of us kids all ate more than we had been, to the point that a not very small roast and sides was utterly consumed.

Mum asked, "You kids all seem to be eating more, even you girls. Are you feeling well?"

I answered, "We've noticed it too. We're guessing that it's the bond, seeing that the girls have only been pregnant for three days. We plan on having Madam Pomfrey give us all physicals once we all get back to school to make sure."

The six of us all pitched in with clearing the table and washing up, to keep Mum happy that we weren't getting 'lazy' for having two house-elves around. All three familiars came down for a late meal while we were washing up. Hermione got to put the food down while the rest of us finished up with the dishes.

Harry visited with Hedwig for a few minutes while we all had one more pumpkin juice or tokkuri. Then, knowing that tomorrow with the goblins would be beyond troublesome, we headed upstairs as one. We got undressed, into the bed, and were fast asleep before ten o'clock.


	13. Chapter 13 Banks, Ranks, Badges, Brooms

**Chapter 13, Banks, Ranks, Badges, and Broomsticks where Ron finds a heart…**

-BANG!- -BANG!- -BANG!—

It's five to six. All of you need to get up!"

"Thanks, Mum, we're moving" I replied as I turned down the covers and sheet, only to have it pulled back up again.

Out of a bed of six people, it would seem that only Hermione and I are able to wake up quickly, and wherever she is, it's not in the bed with the rest of us. I decided to take things into my own hands.

Reaching down below the covers, I cup the bum of each of my two bondmates, giving each a tender squeeze, followed up by a wandless stinging charm. Harry had the height advantage, but Luna had more "hang-time." They also let go of the blankets, which allowed me to pull them down a second time, only having to overpower Ginny.

Neville was now self-propelled, and was already getting dressed. He had Mipsy vanish the covers, encouraging Luna, Harry, and Ginny to finish waking up and start dressing.

Harry and Luna complained in unison, "What the hell, Old Man?"

I replied, "And good morning to the both of you. After we get dressed and have breakfast, Harry, Sirius is meeting us with a portkey to Gringotts, which they don't normally allow, by the way. We'll be there half of the morning or better reviewing your accounts and doing other business with the bank."

As I put on my underwear and black socks, I continued. "After that, since you finally decided to join the DOM with Neville and me, you need to be sworn-in, and we all need to get our credentials. If we're lucky, that will only take the _rest_ of the morning."

Ginny and Luna were getting dressed in their school uniforms, since that was the dressiest magical clothing _any_ of us had at that point. Neville was already dressed, and headed downstairs. Harry had just grudgingly put on his y-fronts and was putting on a white t-shirt and black socks. I was already in my waistcoat, and waiting on them to catch up.

I continued, " _If_ we're lucky, we will have time to eat lunch and maybe change over into casual clothes before Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch arrive at half-two for our flying lesson. You can be thankful that we know she can't become an animagus, otherwise, she'd be even earlier."

Harry was now in his trousers and wing-collar shirt, with his sleeves pushed up. He finally put his wand holster on, and started looking blearily for his cufflinks and studs, which Sirius had sent over with Mum yesterday evening.

I first handed him his glasses, saying, "You might find your cufflinks easier if you're wearing these?"

He sheepishly and sleepily took the glasses and put them on, while I started putting the studs in his shirt front and buttoned it closed.

He mumbled, "Thanks, Old Man. But that was still a mean trick zapping us."

I kissed him good morning, and replied, "You're welcome. We need the loo and breakfast. You can finish dressing downstairs after breakfast."

He was the first out of the room. I kissed a still half-asleep Luna as I followed him.

Harry and I used the commode at the same time with the seat up, and lowered the seat while we flushed. We shared the sink to brush our teeth as Luna came in for her turn. She stood behind us as Ginny came in.

Five minutes later, we were eating breakfast as Sirius and Croaker knocked at the back door. Mum let them in, and Sirius joined us at the table and was served a plate. Croaker walked up to me and handed me a three foot long piece of fine rope.

He said, "Mage Weasley, the rope is a portkey for the six of you to portkey directly to the Personnel Section. When all six of you are done, it will return you to just outside of your back door here."

He turned to Harry and asked, "Do you plan on joining up?"

Harry, who was finally awake, answered, "Yes. Will I be able to take the oath this morning?"

Neville looked at Ginny and him, and interjected, "You shouldn't have any problems."

Croaker said, "Neville, Harry and you will be sworn-in. Both of you, along with Mage Weasley will also need to be issued your credentials, and Harry will need to provide his vault information for deposit of his salary, since I already have your personal vault information, and Mage Weasley has been on-payroll for a while.

"You also receive a 'swearing-in' bonus of 13 Galleons, 13 and 13. The name of the depositor will be a 'shell company' that is run by the DOM. Personnel section can answer any other administrative questions you may have. Do any of you have questions for me?"

Surprisingly, Luna asked, "Why are the three of us girls going along for the 'swearing-in' and stuff?"

Croaker answered, "As spouses of Battle-Mages, you receive benefits that are slightly different from most Ministry, or even DOM employees' spouses. Due to the potential danger involved in your husbands' work, you are entitled to a survivor pension if your husbands die in the line of duty. In addition, life insurance for your husbands is provided as additional compensation. Lady Longbottom has some understanding of the Muggle MOD. The Battle Mage Office is quite similar in purpose. While we don't have special housing or shopping facilities, you will be issued identification to allow you in to the special rooms reserved for hospitalized DOM Personnel should your husbands be injured in the line of duty."

"Anyone else?" he asked.

Mum asked, "Will Arthur and I need to get these ID's as well?"

"No, Molly. Your Ministry ID is sufficient. When we have DOM personnel with relatives in the Ministry, we simply record the ID's as needed. As I'm sure Arthur can explain, while we are part of the Ministry, we are not spoken of. Anyone else?"

Receiving a chorus of "no's," he said, "In that case I'll bid all of you a good day, and I'll see you in the Personnel Section this morning. He politely let himself out of the door, closing it behind him. The crack a few moments later announced his departure.

We were mostly finished with our breakfasts by then. Harry had already finished and put on his socks. Mipsy had tied his bow tie, and he was buttoning up his waistcoat.

Sirius said, "Now that that's out of the way, good morning all!"

Everyone returned his greeting.

Harry said, "Thanks for helping out with this, Sirius. While we got to bed at kind of a reasonable hour, most of us are still just waking up.

"What time are we expected, and what do we do when we get there.?"

Sirius answered, "It's five to seven now, and we will get there at around 7:20. Our appointment with the account manager for both the Houses of Black and of Peverell-Potter is named Blordak, and we will meet him at 7:30, along with Remus who will meet us there.

"This is mostly to get an overview of your accounts, Harry. We will also add access on the same level as you to both Ginny and Ron, since you're married to both of them. As your Chief Seneschal, Ron will automatically see every report that you do.

"We will also review Ron's personal vault, and add Luna to that one. Ragnok is the Longbottom account manager. He was gracious enough to set up an appointment at the same time for Neville and Hermione, and his office is directly across the hall from Blordak's.

"Most Gringotts employees are Goblins, including both account managers. Be courteous with them. Courtesy is free. It may not gain you anything, but being rude _will cost you._ Also, don't stare at them. They are slightly taller than house-elves, and look like a cross between a house-elf and a human. While Blordak is civil enough, many Goblins resent anti-Goblin attitudes amongst the wizarding public, and can tend to take offense more easily because of this.

"Blordak has also done a wonderful job managing the accounts for both houses. Even before the Peverell-Potter accounts were officially unfrozen, he was able to make a series of very shrewd and very successful investments, and has doubled the overall value of the portfolio over three times in ten years. He has reduced the size of the investment pool 'at risk' steadily while doing so, too.

"He was originally your grandfather Fleamont Potter's account manager, and stayed on since then. Between your father's estate, and the estates of your Uncle Charlus, Aunt Dorea, and cousin Charis Potter, who were all killed earlier in 1981, the accounts stood at roughly 250 million Galleons. They are now worth just over two thousand million Galleons.

"In the process, he has quietly purchased back most of the Sleekeasy stock your Grandfather Fleamont sold off when he retired, and has invested in other businesses, both magical and Muggle. So, in short, this is one investment banker you do _not_ want to lose."

Mipsy delivered our robes and cloaks. We finished dressing, and it was time to leave for the morning. We hugged and kissed Mum goodbye, grasped the hoop that Sirius had, and felt the pull behind our navels.

§§§

We met with Blordak at 7:30 exactly. Blordak was of average height and weight for a Goblin, was clean-shaven, and had a full head of graying hair that was parted down the middle. He and Remus Lupin were stood around a conference table with various reports laid out upon it.

He was also rather refreshing, in that he didn't act particularly "war-like." Though he was certainly a proud Goblin, he was also a _very successful_ Account Manager and Investment Banker. With the returns Sirius described being _net,_ and his commissions being _not small,_ he could quite literally afford to be more relaxed than most of his race.

He greeted, "Good morning to you all. I am Blordak."

He walked up to a rather nervous Harry and shook his hand. He then said, "Young Lord Potter, It is a pleasure to finally meet you. You look a lot like your Grandfather Fleamont when he was your age."

Harry visibly relaxed, and replied, "Thank you, sir. I understand that you have worked very hard on my accounts these last few years?"

Blordak laughed gently and said, "Quite, my Lord. _All_ Gringotts Account Managers work hard. We share the good fortune that I have also worked _successfully._

"Your former Chief Seneschal and current Deputy Seneschal has also supervised my work, along with your godfather and regent. While I'm still not sure why you needed to claim your lordship in the manner that you did, you were wise enough to leave those who were actually in place running your affairs in place and unencumbered.

"I have of necessity and in confidence been informed of some of your circumstances, namely the Soul Bond marriage the Ministry did _not_ publicly announce Saturday Last. Seneschal Lupin has continued to be of great help providing guidance as to how you wish your accounts and estates managed.

"Since you have wisely claimed your title _without_ removing your regent and guardian, you have much more time to get up to speed, as does your Chief Seneschal. While a vault of his level is not normally my concern, I have taken it on as well to simplify things for all of us.

"First, Harry, I'm informed you have one of your elves back. Can you call him?"

Harry called, "Odo, I'm at Gringotts. Come to me."

Odo appeared moments later and answered, "Odo is here to serve, as Master would bid."

Blordak asked, "Lord Potter, if you would place the key to your trust vault on top of Odo's head?"

Harry did so. First the key glowed, then Odo himself glowed, before the glowing ceased altogether.

Blordak said, "You may retrieve your key, my Lord. Your house-elf may now withdraw funds as needed from your trust vault in either Galleons or Pounds. Do be careful to keep an eye on your account balances. While the amount of gold in your trust vault is quite substantial, I _have_ seen other heirs spend the money faster than it came in.

"Do you with either or both of your spouses to have access to your trust vault?"

Ginny asked, "If I may, sir, Lord Potter and I haven't had the time to even think about discussing finances, much less decide how quickly either of us should start accessing our accounts. Besides, if I really need something, I should only need to send Odo for it if it is reasonable, or have Harry make the purchase if it is major. For various reasons I am not able to talk about, Harry and I live at my parents' house, and will do so until we graduate from Hogwarts."

Harry told Blordak, "I'll give Ron access to my trust vault. Ginny and I will decide how quickly I should give her a key, since she does not feel comfortable having one just yet."

Blordak replied, "This is fair enough. Set your vault key on the grey tray."

Harry set his bronze key on the grey tray, and a duplicate key appeared in a white tray to the immediate right of the grey tray.

Blordak said, "The duplicate key is for your 'private spouse.' Tap each key once with your wand."

Harry did so, and both keys glowed momentarily.

Blordak said, "Now, while Lord Potter taps the master key, his 'private spouse' will tap the duplicate."

Harry and I did as asked. The keys glowed again.

Blordak told us, "The master key can be recalled by Gringotts if it is lost or stolen. The duplicate can also be recalled to the master key by the owning spouse _only_ by tapping the master key ten times with your wand. You may pick up your keys now."

We did, as Blordak spoke again.

"Your key may also be used at some, but not all wizarding shops in the UK. If the shop has an image of a vault key on the front door, they will accept a key print the way the Muggle shops accept credit cards.

"From what I am told, you will also need to present account information to an employer later on. Giving them your trust vault number should be sufficient."

"I have two other major items of note. Both concern the estates of your late relatives.

"First, you now own fifty-four percent of Grunnings Drills LLC. The company is generally well run, is solvent, and is profitable. The interim Managing Director will likely be recommended to be appointed outright. The stock started to decline noticeably on Wednesday, when we held forty-six percent. We purchased the shares we did Thursday, and after doing so the stock returned to its normal trading range.

"Secondly, both inherited homes have been released to you by both the Aurors and Muggle Law Enforcement. Your Deputy Seneschal has already seen to the proper cleaning and exorcising of both properties. They both have all utilities kept in service under your name. Your Deputy Seneschal will have proposals to either sell or retain for each property.

"Do either of you have any other questions before we review the Peverell-Potter and Weasley account statements?"

Harry and I both answered, "no," and we started reviewing the account statements for the next hour.

§§§

We left Blordak's office with Remus Lupin in tow at 9:30. The accounts, as expected, were all well in order. While a lot of the value of the fortune was tied up in investments, there was more than adequate cash-flow to live in a far grander style then were currently enjoying. Since we did _not_ plan on blowing vast sums of money, this was even more reassuring.

Neville and Hermione were waiting across the hall until we left. Since Neville was only the heir to his family accounts, he only had his combination trust and personal vault to be concerned with, and to add Hermione to it.

I told Remus, "We will be portkeying to the Ministry. Ask Sirius what it's about in some place that isn't a corridor if you need to know. We will try to be back to the Burrow no later than half-one to have lunch before Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch arrive to give us our first flying lesson. at one-thirty. Let us know what you recommend for the two houses."

Harry said, "Thanks for setting this up, Remus, and thank Sirius for us two. We need to get going while we still have time for lunch afterwards."

Harry hugged Remus. I took out the portkey, and the six of us held on to it. I activated it, and we were whisked away to the DOM Personnel Section.

§§§

The Department of Mysteries actually occupies _three_ separate areas within the Ministry. In addition to the main research areas on level nine, the DOM Personnel Section is on level two next to the Wizengamot Administrative Services office, and the Battle Mage Headquarters is located across from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office on level two as well.

Our portkey landed us in the lobby of DOM Personnel, where were met by Chief Battle Mage Hadrian Wallace. He was an imposing figure, standing six feet and four inches tall, muscular, and in good physical condition He was clean-shaven, with grey eyes and hair.

As he shook my hand, he greeted me with, "Congratulations, Senior Battle Mage. Get your credentials, probies, and spouses taken care of and come by the shop."

"Yes sir," I answered. Nothing more to say, really.

As "Chief Wally" left the room, Harry asked, "Who was that, Ron?"

I answered, "Our new boss, or at least new to Neville and you, though I've yet to meet him." The 'in this lifetime' was understood.

One magical oath and two hours of "brick-to-the-head" paperwork hell later, rounded out with six magical photographs and six magic samples given, saw our credentials and ID's issued. Harry's pay was also started, and all of our life insurance and emergency data was updated.

We walked over to Dad's office and stopped by for just a moment. He and Perkins had obviously gotten back from a raid somewhere, and were having a cuppa before writing up the reports.

I said in greeting, "Hey, Dad. Since we were in the neighborhood, I thought we'd stop in. How bad was the raid?"

"Not that bad, Ron, just a hassle to deal with. It was a clandestine biting doorknob shop in Berkshire. What made it a pain was that the Muggles were _in on it too._ When the Muggles discovered that the knobs bit _everyone_ who approached their front door, they were queued up in the _street_ to buy them, in hopes of getting rid of door-to-door salesmen. The actual shop we could have raided in our sleep, and took just under ten minutes. We're here on break and to start the reports. We're going to have to check _every house_ in that village and the next five over from that, though, to make sure we capture all of the biting doorknobs. The Obliviators have been playing merry-hell on this too, let me tell you

"So, going to play in the broom cupboard?"

"You know you shouldn't speak of such things, Dad" I replied in good humor, with only Neville getting the joke right away, and Harry shaking his head as he read my thoughts.

"But, we do need to run off. We want to get back to the Burrow in time to eat before the Professors show up to give the 'mandatory' broom riding lesson. See you tonight?"

Dad answered, "I hope so. I've no intention of staying late if I can avoid it."

We all waived, and let Dad and Perkins get back to it.

Across the hall was a janitor's closet. I told the rest of us, "Enter the closet and close the door. Cast _Lumos,_ and pull the glowing mop head."

With our help through our bonds, we got first the girls, then ourselves into the Battle Mage Squad Room. Other then entering through a "trick entrance" in the back wall of a janitor's closet, the Squad Room was quite similar to the Auror's Squad Room and the Hit Wizards' Squad Room elsewhere on the same floor. The room was filled with desks, some of which actually had Battle Mages sitting at them doing paperwork. There were eight offices for Senior Battle Mages that opened into the main Squad Room, though we normally only ever had six. There were also offices for the Training Officer, Assistant Chief, and the Chief himself.

As everyone else looked around, I told them, "Welcome to the Squad Room. Unless you stay on after this mission, you may only see it a dozen times or so more at most. You spend most of your time in the field.

"The Patrolmen and Aurors are told to bring them in alive. The Hit Wizards are told to bring them in alive if _convenient_. _We're_ told to bring in enough of them that what we don't bring in won't cause any further bother. We _do_ try to make arrests if it is feasible. But, we're usually called in because it's _not_ feasible. We also can be sent anywhere where the Ministry has an interest.

"We're nicknamed 'Attack Dogs' or 'Dogs,' because we are in effect the 'attack dogs' for the DOM. There are any number of people who deal in the phenomena we study in such a manner as to deliberately cause harm to people or society. There are also circumstances where a small but effective group of fighting wizards is required to protect British interests in many parts of the world. For these and other reasons that are not routinely spoken of, the DOM is obliged to maintain the Battle Mage Force.

"The Hit Wizards were copied off us by the DMLE back in the late 1920s, after some high-ranking DMLE bureaucrat read some Muggle newspapers from America about how American gangsters kept discipline in their organizations, which were made up of people who didn't exactly _believe_ in discipline.

"We call Hit Wizards 'Crispies,' because one of their first missions went just about as bad as one can possibly go due to a lack of training and skill. Someone was supposedly poaching _live dragons_ from the Welsh Dragon Preserve. in 1931. The Aurors wouldn't touch it. We were getting ready to send in a team to take care of things, but DMLE decided to send in the Hit Wizards instead.

"DMLE sent in fourteen Hit Wizards. Not only did they screw things up so badly that even the _poachers_ couldn't prove they were poaching, but the entire squad got flash-roasted and eaten.

"Needless to say, their training was improved a _lot_ after that, particularly since their Training Officer and Chief Hit Wizard were part of the 'gang of fourteen,' and needed to be replaced anyway. By the time the Grindelwald war really heated up in '39, they were a respectable force of Dark Wizard fighters.

"Our mission and the mission of the Hit Wizards doesn't quite overlap, on paper. In reality, they overlap a _lot,_ the biggest difference being that our missions and 'gigs' originate from DOM, and the Hit Wizards' missions and 'hits' originate from DMLE.

"Our particular mission is being handled by one newly promoted Senior Battle-Mage – me, along with two probationary trainees. This is actually what the mission calls for, and the three of us are _exactly_ the right people for the job. Depending on how good a job we do, when compared to the job the one we're going after does, it could _remain_ just us. Or, it could take every Battle-Mage, Auror, Hit Wizard, and Patrolman in the UK to clean up the mess."

We walked as a group to Chief Wallace's office. I knocked on the door, and he bid us enter. We walked in respectfully and stood in front of the Chief's desk. He looked all six of us over as he sat quietly.

After a minute or so, he spoke. "My Name is Hadrian Wallace, and I am the Chief Battle Mage. I have been read in to the circumstances and complications of your mission, including the unique qualifications of at least two members of your light squad. Senior Mage Weasley, do you at least have an idea for a fourth member for your squad?"

I answered, "I _had_ one, but she came down with a case of Soul Bond, complicated by pregnancy. All three of our wives are trainable, and will be able to help out with the mission, but I would prefer them to remain civilians, and defending as much as possible. I might be able to come up with a fourth, but I'll actually have to come fully off of paid convalescent leave and get back to Hogwarts to be sure.

"I might be able to use a second squad on the 'outside.' I only say 'might' because I'm still gathering and confirming intel, and don't want to waste manpower. I know the chief target of the mission, but I don't know who else is involved. The people who _had_ been the most dangerous 'pulled a Darwin,' and I haven't found out if they've been replaced. I haven't given Croaker my mission statement yet because I want some proof to go with it, and because the mission statement will likely be and remain 'eyes only' to Croaker unless or more likely until things get truly pear-shaped."

He paused in thought for a moment, and said, "You think that Croaker doesn't know your mission statement already?"

I answered, "The betting money says that he knew it in 1990, when he put me back on payroll. _Has he read you in that far,_ Chief?"

"No,, Senior Mage. That is why I'm concerned. By the way, do you know about the Gringott's robbery on the thirty-first of July?

"Yes. It was the primary target's attempt to get something they think they can use."

"Can the primary target actually use what they tried to steal?" he asked.

"Themselves, not a chance. With the help they have available, probably not, Chief. I'm worried about the 'probably' part, though."

Wallace said, "It's a simple potion."

I replied, "It's a simple _poison_ if brewed by the wrong person. I don't believe that the primary target has access to the _right_ person, but I don't _know._ I _do_ know that he is much less dangerous if he doesn't actually know how to use the item, and I also know that it is protected much more thoroughly than the primary target realizes."

"How soon do you anticipate needing additional support?"

As he asked, I thought about an item that needed to go away very quickly.

I answered, "I might need a crucible and some basilisk venom on fairly short notice."

"You know that stuff is almost as expensive as it is dangerous, right?" he asked.

"Yes, Chief. But, if I find the proof I need, which I suspect I might, the proof will need to be dealt with quickly. With the basilisk venom, we might have enough left over for study, and we will have physical _proof._ If we use _Fyndfyre_ or the Veil, we won't."

"How big of a crucible are you talking, Senior Mage Weasley?"

"Between fifteen and twenty-one centimeters inside diameter, filled between fifteen and twenty-one inches deep. I don't have the likely proof, and am going from memories of reports. Unless you have a goblin-forged sword that has been anointed with basilisk venom?" I answered.

Chief Wallace sat silently in frustration, rubbing his forehead. In his place, I'd be doing the same.

He replied finally, "You know I'm going to need to clear this with Croaker, right?"

I stated, "If he turns us down, it's a matter of _can't_ rather than _won't._ The venom will be safer for us than the envenomed goblin sword, but either should work leaving behind proof that is safe. Even _that_ proof will be 'eyes only' for Croaker, the seven of us, and a few civilians who are trustworthy enough and have a need to continue knowing.

"Fyndfyre and the Veil should also work, but anyone we would need to show proof beyond a pensieve memory would have to be present in the Death Chamber when we toss the item, or be present wherever we 'roast' it."

Shaking his head again, Chief Wallace asked, "Were you always such a pain, Weasley?"

I answered, "Chief, this is really the 'mission of a lifetime.' We're not only trying to succeed in our mission, but do so with a true minimum loss of lives and property. With the right motivation and a little bit of luck, a group of truly _untrained_ teen-agers could win. There would just be a lot of good people dieing or being tortured and imprisoned that need not suffer those fates."

Chief Wallace opened up his desk drawer and withdrew two pocket notebooks. One had my name on it, and the other had Harry's. He sat them on the edge of his desk closest to us.

I asked, "Has Neville been issued his notebook, Chief?"

He answered, "Yes. Go ahead and talk Potter through claiming the notebook."

I told Harry, "First, tap the crest on the front cover with your wand."

We both drew our wands, tapped the notebooks, and holstered our wands back.

I took my penknife from my pocket, pricked my thumb, and left a bloody thumbprint on the crest. Seeing me do this, he followed along with his penknife. I healed first his thumb then mine wandlessly. I finally drew my wand and tapped the cover three times. He followed my example, with both of us holstering our wands afterward.

I said, "Keep that notebook handy at all times, in an interior pocket of your clothing. If it vibrates and turns noticeably warm, you have a message. You may also write notes in it with a pencil. These notes are magically transmitted to those who need to receive it.

"Do _not_ lose the notebook! While they can normally be read only by the person to whom the notebook is issued, and while there are numerous safeguards to either recall or destroy the notebook, they are quite the bother. If you _do_ mess up and lose it, report the loss _at once._ Most compromises of sensitive information are either minimized or made much worse in the first fifteen minutes after the loss is discovered, depending on whether and how quickly the loss is reported.

"If you're _sure_ you've just misplaced your notebook, there is a charm that can recall it, and also let you know if someone other than you has tried to read it. I'll teach that to Neville and you back at the house. Once learned, the spell works without fail. If the spell _does_ fail to work, report the loss _at once._

"If the notebook appears to be irretrievably lost in such a manner that no one will be able to attempt to discover its contents, _report it at once._ If your observations are correct, they will be confirmed in the notebook issue register. If not, then you have reported it, and other means will be taken.

"Harry, you and I might be able to read each other's notebooks due to our Soul Bond. Since I am your first-line supervisor and trainer, I will be able to read both your notebook and Neville's."

"Girls," I add, "Do _not_ try to read any of our notebooks. It will only cause all of us a world of trouble if you do."

I finally ask, "Chief? Do you need anything else from us?"

He handed me my office key, and said, "No. Go to your office, and portkey home, back to your office, and home again with your credentials. The rope will portkey your wives directly to your home. Let me know where you want that crucible should I be able to get it for you?"

"Will do, Chief" I answer. "As for where, the Fyndfyre room on nine should work."

The six of us shook hands with Chief Wallace and left his office. We walked through the Squad Room to the door marked "R. Weasley, Senior Battle Mage." I noticed that Harry and Neville had desks assigned right outside of my door. Using my key to unlock and open the door, we went inside.

The office was only slightly crowded with the six of us inside. The office was just smaller than Dad's, but was for only me where Dad shared with Perkins. There were two wooden chairs facing my desk, with a reasonably comfortable looking chair behind the desk for me. There were two filing cabinets at the far end of the office, along with the doors to a small cupboard and very small ensuite. All of this screamed "mid-level-bureaucrat," but was par for the course. Seeing that I was at the tender age of eleven (in this life,) this was actually quite the accomplishment.

I said "Girls, your IDs are just that. Our credentials are also permanent portkeys between our homes, here, and St. Mungos. We can carry another person along with us if we are conscious, not under duress, and not under the Imperius. Otherwise, all 'riders' find themselves in a ministry holding cell tagged 'hold for DOM.' "

I continued, "Guys, the portkey sequence Chief Wallace told us to do is to make sure the portkey is set to exactly where it needs to be. Look at your credentials. The address on them should be 'The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon.'"

I looked at both Neville and Harry. Harry nodded.

Neville asked, "If and when I quit staying at yours, do I need to get my credentials changed?"

I answered, "Yes. If you quit doing your 'everyday' living at the Burrow, you need to get your credentials changed to your 'new' address, whether it's moving in with Hermione, moving back to your actual home at Longbottom hall, or wherever. The address on the private side of your credentials is where it will take you when you go 'home,' so best make sure you live there." I said the last with a grin.

I added, "No worries, Neville. You're not even close to wearing out your welcome with us. If your Gran wants Hermione and you to move back instead of just visiting more frequently, we'll work with it. You _are_ just 'sleeping over,' after all, even if the 'sleepover' will last for as much as seven years. You didn't move out or get thrown out. It's just that if you 'go home' at the end of your shift, you will go to whatever address is magic'ed into the credentials."

Getting back to all three of us, I said, "What we will do now is 'fine-tune' our credentials by moving several times between our desks here and the Burrow. Girls, I'll want you to stay here for the moment so I can leave my door open. Guys, when I ask you to, go stand behind your desks, leaving a little bit of room between the desk and you. When I say 'now,' the activation phrase to go home is 'there's no place like home.' To come back to your spot by your desk, the activation phrase is 'it's off to work I go.' After we go back and forth three times, we'll have one more set of checks to make. It's five after noon now. Let's go for being done and eating by 12:30. Go to your desks."

Neville and Harry stepped out of the office. They took a moment, but found their desks without any problem based on their 'issue nameplates' already being on the desks.

Harry said loudly, "We're ready!"

I answered, "First two times vocalize, last time silent. Now!"

With the activation phrase said by each of us, we swirled away on the 'navel-hook.'

The three of us were standing by the kitchen table about ten seconds later. Mum, who was making bangers and mash for our lunch, was startled.

I said, "Hi, Mum! Sorry to startle you, but we're testing our credentials. We'll be done and remaining for lunch in the next half hour or so. We'll pop in twice more, be gone for a bit, and then we'll all be back. The girls should portkey to outside of the back door when we send them on. Bye, Mum!"

As Mum watched bemused, I said, "Now!"

We each said, 'it's off to work I go.' and were gone again.

Round two was much easier. Round three, being the first silent one, felt kind of shaky, so I had us do the silent activation two more times.

Back at the office, I said, "Ok, we will do two silent rounds between here and St. Mungo's. The activation phrase for them is, 'medic!' Your credentials will also _automatically_ portkey you to St Mungo's if you are seriously injured or cursed to the point of needing medical attention. They will also 'punch through' most hastily erected anti-portkey wards, and some permanent ones as well. I would rather not try punching through one of _Voldemort's_ hasty wards, but most anyone else just doesn't have the power to stop these.

"Ok, silent to St. Mungo's - now!"

We each activated our credentials, and rather quickly were at the receiving desk on the fourth floor. The mediwizard working the desk asked, "New credentials?"

I answered, "Yes. We'll be back once more in just a tick, and be out of your hair again in no time."

Nodding at Harry and Neville, we returned silently to the office.

I said so they could here, "That desk is the receiving desk for the part of the fourth floor reserved for DMLE and DOM. I was in hospital there once in 1990. They are very good, and do _not_ gossip. Again!"

We silently activated our credentials, and were back at the receiving desk. The mediwizard said, "Try not to _need_ us for an emergency, but if you _do,_ we're here."

We thanked him, and returned to the office.

I said, "I'll be out in half a tick!"

I walked out to their desks, and said, "Two last things before we leave. First is to key you in to your desks. Move your blotters to the side so you can see the DOM Crest."

They did so, and I continued, "Do it just like we did for our notebooks."

They did the wand-tapping and blood prints just like for their notebooks. I healed their thumbs, and had them open and close all of their desk drawers.

I told them, "The desks read your magic. Since I am your supervisor, I can also open both of your desks, but you can _not_ open mine. Only Chief Wallace and Croaker can. Since the two of you are partners, you can also open each other's desks. No one else can.

"Do _not_ try to open anyone else's desk! If you do, the desk you try to open will hurt you. If you have a legitimate need to get in to someone else's desk, have me talk to their Senior Battle Mage, or Chief Wallace or Croaker."

I took out my notebook, checked the inside front cover, and took the included pencil. I wrote: "Brat, Neville, hello world." followed by the pound sign. The pound sign turned red, and both Neville and Harry jumped.

I said, "This is the quick class on how to use the notebook. On the inside front cover, you will find the names of the people you can send notes to, along with a magic pencil. You can use any pencil you like, but _don't_ use ink. The pencil that comes with the notebook will fit _inside_ the notebook, lasts a long time, and are 'free-issue' at DOM Personnel.

"As you felt, I just sent the both of you a message. Go ahead and read it. And, Harry, I don't know why _that_ name came up instead of 'Harry,' so don't bother asking."

Harry read his notebook first, followed by Neville. As each read the message, their names turned green. After both names were green for about five seconds, the coloured writing turned back to graphite dark grey.

Harry asked, "How did they get _your_ name like that, too?"

I answered, "I don't know. Croaker has a sense of humor, I guess."

Getting back to the lesson, I said, "That's how you receive a message. To write a message, you write it to the person who you are allowed to send notes to, using their name as written on the inside front cover of the notebook. You end your message and cause it to be sent by writing the 'pound sign.' If you actually have to specify a weight or 'number designation,' just write out the word pounds or number as needed."

I put my notebook in my pocket. When Harry and Neville finished writing their notes back to me, my notebook heated up and vibrated. I opened the notebook.

Neville's note read, "Got it, 'Old Man.'"

Harry's note read, "Do you want to 'break in your desk?' I'm sure Luna and Ginny would like to help, too?"

I put my notebook back in my pocket and said, "Once an item is answered, draw one line through it from top left to bottom right if you need to keep it for reference. Draw two lines to clear the note completely. Also, a message with a question mark at the end _requires_ a written response.

"If you look at the messages you sent, the pound sign turned red. When I read the note, the pound sign will turn green. If you sent the note without needing a reply, the pound sign will remain green for five seconds, and turn back to pencil colour. If you concluded your note with a question mark, the pound sign will turn green and remain green until the recipient sends an answer. If you need an answer more quickly than the recipient seems willing to provide, you can tap the pound sign with your pencil and it will re-alert the recipient. What color are your pound signs?"

Neville answered, "Pencil."

Harry answered, "Solid green."

I said, "Harry, tap your pound sign with your pencil."

He did, and my notebook heated up and vibrated again.

I opened it up and the message was still there.

I said, "Harry, put your notebook in your pocket. If you are receiving an answer to a 'question-note' instead of just a note, the heat will pulse and the vibration will double-pulse."

I wrote back, "Maybe, but not right away. Also, Neville and you _can't_ break in _your_ desks, since the Squad Room is occupied twenty-four-seven, with at least one supervisor. Ask later in person, not in a note. Croaker _can_ read every note if he sees fit.#"

Harry's notebook pulsed. He opened it and read it, blushing bright red as he did so.

I stated, "Everything in your notebook is covered under the Wizarding Official Secrets Act. Croaker is considered to have the 'need to know' for EVERYTHING written in it. If you're sending a grocery list, or something more personal, send it by different means."

Proving my point, both Harry's and my notebooks vibrated, even as we still had them open. The note read, "From Croaker. If either of you show up doing any form of _that_ with any form of spouse, I will bounce the lot of you into the MoM lobby in mid-act. Be governed accordingly."

Harry gulped audibly, and turned rather pale. I said, "Object lesson here. _Mission and training_ only. Croaker _can_ read _anything_ in your notebook.

"Harry, let's double-strike the messages and watch them disappear."

We both double-struck the messages, and they all 'went away.'

I concluded with, "When you double-strike a message, it only leaves _your_ notebook to unclutter it. If the sender or recipient on the 'other end' saved it, they still have it. Also, _every message ever_ written in a notebook since the DOM started using them in 1827 is preserved in a volume of the Master Notebook _, including Harry's invitation to break in my desk."_ I said the last part so that only the six of us could hear.

Luna and Ginny both quietly muttered, "Damn!"

I said, "Let's go into my office, and lock up. I need to claim _my_ desk and filing cabinets too, and it's 12:28 now.

§§§

Twelve thirty-five saw all six of us seated at the kitchen table with Mum. We talked politely as we ate our bangers and mash, with tea.

I said, "Mum, I got promoted to Senior Battle Mage this morning. So far, I'm just supervising Harry and Neville. It does give me a pay rise and an office, though. And, if I need anyone else, I have actual rank in addition to being in charge of the mission. Seeing that the next older person than me in the office is twenty-seven, this is a good thing."

Mum asked, "How does that work with you supervising a spouse?"

"No different than otherwise. I'm not on a 'power trip,' and won't be going on one. If I tell them something, it's to make sure our mission is successful and that we all make it home alive and un-maimed. Harry and Neville both know this."

Mum asked, "Did you know that your grandfather Septimus was a Hit Wizard during the Grindelwald war, and that your Dad started out with the Patrol?"

I replied, "I knew about Dad. I only learned about grandfather Septimus when I was in the hospital wing last time. It is rather ironic when you think about it – the grandson of a Crispy becoming an Attack Dog, _three times_ no less, and carrying his old wand, too. "

Mum hesitated as she thought back to _that_ day. Harry and I each kissed a cheek, then took our seats again. Mum dabbed her eyes with her serviette, and we continued to talk and eat.

Hermione asked, "Are there nicknames for the other law enforcement and paramilitary witches and wizards?"

I answered, "Yes, for some at least. Mind you, with our family being two and a half generations of DMLE and me living two 'half-generation' and starting on a third with DOM, we have our own biases. Other than Hogwarts and what we learn about our co-workers in other departments, we know a lot more about what we actually do than other parts of the Ministry.

"The Patrol are known as either the 'Front-Liners,' or the polite version of the insult you say around Mum is 'Foul-Liars,' depending on what they did to improve the situation or make it harder for you before you showed up. You want to think twice about saying _any_ version around Mum, though. Dad started out with the Patrol, and they generally don't mess things up, at least not for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

"The Obliviators are collectively known as 'Forget-Me-Nuts,' because it seems that they _always_ show up on a crime scene before you do, and that the one Muggle whose statement will help you solve the case just happened to be the _first_ Muggle they _Obliviated._

"The Improper Use of Magic Office are called the 'Pedo-spies,' because they _never_ show up for any _real_ improper use of magic. They seemingly spend _all_ of their time harassing Muggleborn students trying to quietly practice magic in their bedrooms over the summer, or show Mum and Dad what their tuition money is actually paying for. But have that one Muggleborn kid in a thousand 'pop a cog' and curse 'Mummy 'n' Da?' Not a jot from _that_ lot! And, of course, the 'Forget-Me-Nuts' always manage to _Obliviate_ the neighbors back to primary school, so you have no idea _why_ the kid snapped, or for that matter if the kid was actually _acting in self-defense._ I've a story for that, but not while we're eating. Anyway…

"The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office is called 'Art's Farts,' because Dad _started_ the office in 1974. Prior to that, the law enforcement jobs were split between the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol and the Auror office.

"Dad became a Patrolman literally right after getting his NEWT scores. And by that, I mean that he received his NEWT scores at 9:36 in the morning, and was already walking his first patrol as a probationary Patrolman with Elmer Perkins by half-five in the afternoon. He didn't want to work for the Hit Wizards, but still wanted to work in the DMLE.

"As a Patrolman, he rapidly gained the reputation of being the 'go-to' guy for anything involving the misuse of Muggle Artifacts, Muggle bating, flying carpets, you name it; along with his partner, Elmer Perkins. He also still holds the record for highest OWL and NEWT scores for Muggle Studies. Dad made Patrol Sergeant in 1970, and Perkins was content to just be a Patrolman. The two basically worked from 1972 on only on cases involving the misuse of Muggle Artifacts. Barty Crouch Senior, as one of his first acts after being promoted to DMLE Director and Chief Justice of the Council of Magical Law, made Dad and Perkins into a two-man office in 1974, and had Dad write his own field-manual.

"While opinion of the Office varies depending on how prejudiced one is against Muggles, the Patrolmen and Aurors _love_ Dad, and honestly wish that he had more people. Who else wants to answer the call about a caterwauling cuckoo clock in Chelveston at half-three on a Tuesday? _No one._

"The Aurors are called 'gee-wizards' or 'Sherlocks' after the famous fictional Muggle Detective. _Neither_ term is complimentary. As a Patrolman, they _never_ seem to appreciate the job you did preserving the crime scene, but exaggerate every single-time mistake into constant incompetence, all of which while only ever being called out of bed for true disasters. As a Dog or a Crispy, you have to deal with them routinely, especially for us Dogs. They seem to _always_ mess up the chain of evidence, and they only ever seem to look at what _they're_ interested in, never what you actually need to get the damn job done once they dump it in _your_ lap to finish off.

"For Hit Wizards and Battle Mages, though, this is also tempered by _respect._ If they _can't_ hand the case off to us, they are darned near _required_ to bring the suspect in _alive and unharmed._ Hit Wizards are only required to bring in a fugitive alive _if convenient,_ and Battle Mages are only required to bring in _enough_ of the fugitive to prove that what you didn't collect won't be hurting anyone else."

By this time, we were just drinking our tea, at five after one. While everyone else was paused in though, I silently cast: _"Adfero Sirius Black_ Sirius, Harry is having his first 'official' Hogwarts Flying Lesson, being taught by Madam Hooch herself, at half-two. I also need to talk to you in person. Can you come out to the Burrow? Please let me know _Adfero"_ "Jack" nodded and was off in a flash, followed by the larger flash of Prongs.

Two minutes later, we heard a _crack_ outside of the back door. Harry, who had been helping put away the dishes as the were dry, let Sirius in between he first and second knock, hugging him for dear life.

"I'm so glad you came…" he said while hugging his godfather.

"Calm down, Pup!" Sirius replied. "I'm just glad I can be here, and that you want me here." Harry hugged him harder, and the tears leaking from his eyes were 'happy' ones, judging by the bond.

Checking the time, Harry dragged Sirius to the table, chattering a mile a minute, as he put on his socks and shoes anticipating Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch's arrival in the next five minutes.

Harry had just finished getting his full uniform back on, along with the rest of us, when the two Hogwarts Professors arrived promptly at half-two via portkey. Professor McGonagall knocked, and Mum let both Madam Hooch and her in.

Madam Hooch was tall for a woman without being excessively so, and her physical condition was good enough to more than belay her age. Her short iron-grey hair spoke to her experience, and her hawk-like yellow eyes appeared to miss nothing.

She introduced herself, saying, "Ok, students, I am Madam Hooch. I teach flying, and I am also responsible for all Quidditch related matters at Hogwarts. I was told that each of you already has a broom. do you?"

Harry actually raided his hand. Madam Hooch called on him saying, "Yes?"

He answered, "Harry Potter, Lord Peverell-Potter, Ma'am. We each have a Nimbus 2000 thanks to my Godfather. We also have some older brooms in the broom-shed. Ron?"

I added, "Ron Weasley, Lord Peverell-Potter's Chief Seneschal. The 'best' of our older brooms that are here are in the broom shed. If you are looking for a more 'docile' broom, you will only need two; one each for Lord and Lady Longbottom. The other four of us are fine with Nimbus 2000s, and Lord and Lady Potter's flying has to be seen to be truly appreciated.

"The delightful and serene blonde is my wife Luna. The other red-headed student is Ginerva Potter, Lady Peverell-Potter, and prefers 'Ginny.' The brown haired couple hoping that you will forget about them in the corner are Lord Neville and Lady Hermione Longbottom."

Madam Hooch asked, "How long will it take to get your brooms and get to where I'm supposed to teach you?"

I answered, "Lords Peverell-Potter and Longbottom each have a house-elf here…"

"Master Ron calls for Mipsy because Mipsy is better with brooms and Master Neville than Odo?" Mipsy said.

I answered, "Mipsy, Lord and Lady Longbottom require the most suitable two brooms from the Broomshed. The rest of us need our Nimbus 2000s. Line them up on the near edge of the Quidditch Field, pointing towards the pond."

She answered, "Mipsy is doing her Master's Business," and vanished.

I asked, "Did you bring your own broom, Madam Hooch?"

She answered, "Yes. I prefer my own broom, especially seeing what some students call safe, and what our Board of Governors sees as fitting student brooms."

We all walked out to the near edge of the Quidditch Field. We call it a 'field,' because while it's 'close enough' for a pick-up game, it _is_ just a field with hoops on the ends rather than a regulation Pitch.

The brooms were lined up as requested, and perfectly spaced for a genuine Hogwarts 'first broom flying lesson.' Ginny and Harry were visibly restraining themselves, knowing that Madam Hooch was going to go 'by the numbers.' Neville and Hermione weren't nearly so confident, though they weren't really all that bad.

From Madam Hooch's perspective as she faced us, she had from left to right Ginny, Harry, Me, Luna, Hermione, and Neville. We were all right handed, and approached the brooms so that our broom would be below our out-stretched right hand.

Madam Hooch stated, "You actually seem to know what you are doing, at least for setting things up.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom, and say 'Up.'"

We did so, and the four of us on the left were holding our brooms almost instantly. Neville and Hermione got a visibly slower response, but in less than ten seconds, they two were holding brooms out from their bodies in their right hands.

Madam Hooch then mounted her own broom, demonstrating and instructing us on how to mount our brooms without falling off. Ginny and Harry were mounted before she even finished saying for us to mount. Madam Hooch checked all of us, other than Hermione and Neville being nervous, she was pleased with all of us.

She next said, "Now, when I blow my whistle, I want the six of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two – one – _tweet!"_

All six of us followed Madam Hooch's instructions perfectly. While Neville and Hermione were still rather nervous and uncertain, and Harry and Ginny were buzzing with excitement, we all flew as asked, with Neville and Hermione being slightly slower than average.

Once we were on the ground, Harry had raised his hand. When Madam Hooch called on him, he asked, "May we take a break for a few minutes? Ginny and I would like to stretch out for a moment, and this will allow you to work a little more closely with Hermione and Neville?"

She would later claim that it was against her better judgment, but Madam Hooch allowed the other four of us to take a ten minute break while she helped Hermione and Neville. The two of them whoop'ed and left the line in flat spins, revealing that they hadn't actually been on the ground since Madam Hooch had checked their grips!

Once they were well clear of the other four of us students, Harry and Ginny flew all out, and _straight up._ They climbed almost faster than the eye could see, each flew a "hammerhead" turn, and both plunged in controlled high speed dives straight at the ground. They pulled up so low to the ground that the tails of their brooms cut the grass beneath them to less than three centimeters tall. They spiraled around each other in a spiraling climb before leveling off at about thirty feet, and flying high-speed laps of the length of the field with Immelman turns at each end.

After four such circuits, they moved toward the center of the field. Odo was set up there with a bucket of red and blue golf balls, which he lobbed into the air in random directions and choice of colours. After watching closely, it was obvious that they were trying to catch their own colour without catching the other's colour or letting any of their own drop to the ground, and that deliberate blocking of the other was not allowed.

Madam Hooch ended the game at the end of fifteen minutes with a loud long blast of her whistle. Harry and Ginny returned quickly to the line.

Madam Hooch asked, "Which one of you won?"

Harry answered, "It was a tie, after counting off for wrong-colour catches, and same-colour drops."

Professor McGonagall finally found her voice and asked, "Will either of the two of you be willing to play Quidditch? You will need to get caught up on your written assignments and keep your grades up, but you need to do that anyway."

Harry answered, "Ginny and I would both like that, Professor, if Mum says that it's ok. At least until Ginny has to stop flying for our child. I'll keep playing, since I really enjoy flying."

Professor McGonagall replied, "We can speak to your Mum before Madam Hooch and I leave."

Sirius added, "Minnie? Unless Molly outright forbids Harry, I give _my_ permission, for what that's worth. I don't think that even Victor Krum of Romania could fly that well. Is he going to be one of the chasers, or the seeker?"

Professor McGonagall answered, "Providing Molly and Arthur agree with you, and he gets his grades in shape quickly enough, he will be the seeker. If Ginny is allowed to practice until the healers stop it, she _might_ be a reserve for both seeker and chaser. I am not comfortable with a pregnant girl being in the same sky as a pair of bludgers, especially not against Slytherin. Even if we don't let her actually play this year, she is welcome to fly in practice whenever the bludgers are _not_ released, to help Harry sharpen his flying skills further."

Mum had been out watching all this time. She finally found her voice. "I suppose that _if_ they get their schoolwork caught up and keep their grades high, that they may. I can't even imagine how they fly when they _aren't_ being watched."

Mum was immediately bracketed and hugged by Ginny and Harry, with each kissing her on the cheek and talking over themselves in gratitude.

Luna walked up to me and squeezed my hand.

" _Amazing, aren't they?"_ she asked in my mind.

" _Yeah. And the joy the find flying with each other too."_ I replied.

I looked over at Madam Hooch. While Hermione and Neville weren't quite _enjoying_ themselves, they were far from the uncomfortable nerve-balls they were after lunch.

I squeezed Luna's hand gently, and we released each other. I walked up to Sirius, who was still digesting the fact that he probably saw the two greatest aerobatic broom fliers currently alive.

"Sirius," I asked. "Do you have a gold locket somewhere about your house on Grimmald Place with a curse on it?"

He startled with that question. He asked suspiciously and quietly, "How did you know about that?"

I answered, "It was the same as before. I will need to examine the locket, and likely destroy it. _This is important._ Will you help me?"

He answered, "Kreature, one of my house-elves has claimed the locket. Woe betide you if he doesn't want to give it up. He was my brother's personal elf before Regulus disappeared, and served my late mother before she passed on. He has gone completely 'round the twist,' so I can't guarantee your safety if he goes nuts. Do you want me to call him, anyway?"

"Yes," I answered.

Sirius called out in a normal speaking voice, "Kreacher."

"Kreature is here to serve filthy dog who broke Mistress's heart" the house-elf answered. He was also _wearing_ the locket! I could feel Voldemort's soul fragment in the locket from here.

I took out my notebook and wrote: "Croaker and Wallace, it's an emergency! I need that crucible or sword NOW. I'll be in the Squad Room in about one minute #

I thought, _"Brat, leave the broom. Your godfather, the ugly house-elf, and the two of us need to get to the Squad Room RIGHT NOW! We'll fix things here when we get back!"_

Harry casually walked over to us as my notebook heated up.

I thought to Harry, _"Brat, when I nod, grab Sirius and me and activate your portkey to the Squad Room. We will be met. You will need to use Parseltongue to help us destroy the thing around the house-elf's neck."_

He looked at me and nodded. I looked at my notebook. The incoming message read: "To Old Man. We'll be ready. Croaker."

I said to Kreacher, "Hello, Kreacher. Regulus wants to know if his last order to you has been done."

The slightly unhinged house-elf replied, "Filthy human dares to speak Brave Master Regulus' name. But Kreacher is a bad elf! He failed to obey Brave Master…"

I replied, "Your master sent me to help you obey him."

I took the elf's hand in mine, and grabbed Sirius' hand with the other. Harry grabbed both Sirius and me and pulled _hard_ on my magic as he practically shouted, "It's off to work I go!"

We were pulled by our navels and flying. The unholy locket seemed to be trying to escape, but Kreacher held it to his chest with his free hand. The lot of us landed _hard_ by Harry's desk.

Croaker and Wallace were just outside of the door to my office. There was a grey cylinder on the floor to the left of my office door.

I said, "It's the locket!" as I removed the locket from around Kreacher's neck. I had to fight the neck chain as it tried to wrap around my hands or bind my wrists. As I got to the crucible, Harry read my mind and commanded _"Open!"_ in the snake language.

I just got the locket within the barrel of the crucible when the front leaves opened and tried to stop the locket's descent into the solution. Wallace lent a hand, in the form of a heavy forked oaken rod that glowed with magic. He leaned _hard_ on the rod, and forced the horcrux beneath the surface of the highly corrosive and toxic venom.

We could all hear the bubbling, as if someone had ducked a person's head into a bucket of water. Then came the unholy scream as all the protective enchantments failed on the locket, and it finally succumbed to the poison. A horrible green cloud in the shape of a younger Voldemort rose from the crucible, uttered one final rage-filled scream, and shattered as if it were spun glass.

Wallace and I barely got clear. Everyone else, including Kreacher himself, watched on in horrified awe. The ventilation system in the Squad Room removed the fumes, and we could finally relax.

Croaker brought a bucket over next to the crucible along with a pair of ceramic coated tongs. He reached in to the crucible, pulled out what was left of the locket, and placed it in the bucket. He held the remains, along with the tongs, in the bucket as Wallace brought a second bucket. Two minutes later, after he swirled the tongs and remains in the first bucket, Croaker removed the locket from the first bucket and placed it in the second. A masked DOM Employee took over the decontamination of the tongs and locket, while another removed the crucible and bucket to a hand-cart and sent them along with the oaken rod to level nine via dumbwaiter.

Kreacher said, "Brave Master Regulus' last order to Kreacher is done. Who is Kreacher to serve now? Kreacher can not serve Brave Master's brother because Brave Master's brother hates Kreacher. Brave Ron of many roads has no work, and his Harry has an elf. What is Kreacher to do?"

Harry knelt in front of Kreacher, and he quickly mined my memories from my first life. He told the house-elf, "I don't know where I will find work for you, only that somehow I will. You have granted me two favors this afternoon. First, you helped me get closer to destroying the monster who slaughtered my birth parents, and your beloved Master Regulus as well.

"Second, through your loyalty and bravery, I think that I myself have caught a glimpse of the man he truly was. He was a brave and noble man, and I am glad to have seen what little I have of him through your service to him.

"If you can not forgive my godfather for how he has wronged you in the past, I accept this. I will help you if you will let me."

Kreacher replied, "Young master speaks with a pure heart, and with borrowed words…"

Harry cut him off, saying, "I'm only eleven, and wasn't allowed to do well in primary. Ron shares things and even memories with me, but I am my own person. I speak my own words, even if I have to borrow them from the mind of my beloved, the pass through my heart, which is my own even while shared and given."

Kreacher smiled for the first time that I saw him. "Young master speaks well. Kreacher will only be happy when serving the House of Black. Young Master's Ron and Young Master's wife are closer by blood, Kreacher does feel this. but if Hated Master allows Kreacher to serve Brave Master Ron and Young Master Harry, Kreacher will be happy."

Harry looked at his godfather and asked, "Where in London do you live, Sirius?"

Sirius replied, "I have a townhouse in Mayfair. I still own number 12 Grimauld Place because I haven't had the time to sell it. Do you want the house as well as Kreacher?"

Harry asked, "Why would you give away a _house?_ Not that I don't want it, but why?"

Sirius told him, "You will have the same questions to answer about number 4 Privet Drive. While my life wasn't harsh in the same way yours was, it was more than harsh enough. So, I don't _want_ the house. However, as the Seat of Power for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I can't really _sell_ it, either.

"As for Kreacher, you heard it from his own mouth. I don't _hate_ him, but he reminds me too much of the parts of the past I would rather hadn't existed at all. We may be friendly someday, but that someday will never come if I try to keep him serving me as his Master.

"Reggie was fond of Kreacher, just as much as Kreacher was fond of him. Letting Kreacher serve you in a way that he is still serving the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black without actually serving _me_ is the start of the tribute that Reggie truly deserves.

"So, I'll sell you a one hundred year lease on 12 Grimauld Place for one sickle, and I'll transfer Kreacher's bond to either Ron or you, whichever one Kreacher says will work for him, keeping him in service to the House of Black through a cadet house."

Harry replied, "Thanks, Sirius. That also solves the problem of what to do to give Kreacher enough work."

Harry asked, "Kreacher, do you want your bond transferred to Ron, or me?"

Kreacher answered, "Young Master, your Ron would need to accept the bond, even if he has me follow your orders always."

Yipee! Just what I always wanted. All sarcasm aside, I could work with Kreacher. It would be even easier not having the mental baggage of Sirius's death being at least partly Kreacher's fault. So, I said…

"Sirius, how do we transfer Kreacher's bond to me. Harry and I need to get back to the Burrow, at least for a little while. Kreacher didn't make me wait to help him finish Brave Master Regulus' last order to him, so I don't want to wait to reward Kreacher's loyalty to Regulus, either."

Sirius said, "Kreacher, come kneel before me."

He told me, "You will place your right hand on my head. I will talk you through your part.

Two minutes later, I was the proud owner of a half-crazy house-elf, who I promptly assigned to Harry. Harry in turn called Odo, explained the situation, and told both Odo and Kreacher to speak to him if they had any problems. He also told Kreacher to remove 'Mistress Walburga's' portrait to his quarters, so Kreacher could enjoy her company and spare her the disappointment she might see from where she hung. He also ordered Kreacher to be civil to Remus Lupin, who was his Deputy Seneschal.

Finally, Harry asked, "Is there an antidote to the Draught of Despair?"

Croaker answered, "There is, and it's safe for most beings. Why?"

He replied, "Croaker, Kreacher drank a _lot_ of that stuff right before Regulus died. I don't know if it would help Kreacher after all this time, but unless it would _harm_ him, I want to try."

Croaker said, "We'll have to brew it. I can have someone bring it by the Burrow tomorrow, and have him drink it there and then. We can also bring a healer in who specializes in treating house-elves Being stuck with _that_ for over ten years didn't do him any favors."

A silver ghostly phoenix flew in to the Squad Room. It said, "Ron, you need to send a spell-call to your mother so she stops worrying. As soon as you can, you also need to return home. I wish to see your memories of the past hour or so, if I may." The spell dispersed.

Harry had already cast his, and I delayed just long enough to send my message so they wouldn't try to talk over each other. _"Adfero Molly Weasley_ We're sorry we took off with no warning at all. It was beyond an emergency. Ask Luna and Ginny, we weren't consciously blocking them off, but will call them through our bonds. We are at the office, and are trying to finish up here as soon as possible. Croaker might come along at first, and he will have an interesting souvenir to show. And Headmaster, if Mum gives her permission, a snifter of that Armagnac would be very nice. After seeing my memory, I think you will agree. Thanks. _Adfero"_

§§§

It was almost half-five before we returned to the Burrow. Luna and Ginny grabbed us into hugs the moment we showed up. Ginny and Harry were up the stairs to the room so quickly that it was almost like apparition. Through the bond, I felt that he was only changing out of his uniform and into casual clothes, and ditching the footwear.

Luna was also dressed more casually. I was more concerned about her tears as she cried herself out on my shoulder. I held her and made reassuring noises. As odd as it sounds, it worked.

When she had calmed down, I said in my mind while kissing her, _"I'm sorry you saw that, especially without warning. But, I had to do it when I did it. I really didn't mean to hurt or scare you, please forgive me?"_

She answered, _"I forgive you. Please help me become stronger with you. Also, when we clear out the last of your 'work' for the day and eat, we will all be having sex. If you have anything going on in the morning, you will either be late or put it off."_

I kissed her and answered, "I love you, Luna."

After kissing her again, I looked around the kitchen more thoroughly. Professor Dumbledore was at the end of the table, with a traveling case taking up that part of the table itself. The traveling case would shortly prove out to be his pensieve.

Mum was still working on supper. I walked up to her, hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek.

She replied, "I thought I'd seen the last of this in '81. So long as you keep coming home, Ronnie."

I hugged and kissed her again, telling her "I love you, Mum. If I could have done things differently, I would have."

I walked back to the table, seeing Professor McGonagall, Madam Hooch, Neville, and Hermione seated along with Luna.

Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch stood up. Madam Hooch said, "Harry's and your flying were both Outstanding. I understand that your leaving was due to an emergency, and I've taken no offense. Remind and congratulate Harry and Ginny for getting on your House Quidditch team, and urge them to get their class-work caught up and to keep their grades up. I need to get going as soon as Professor McGonagall finishes up here. I'll hopefully see the lot of you when you return to classes."

Professor McGonagall added, "I was also able to work with Ginny, Luna, Neville and Hermione on some transfiguration. Between Hermione and you, please show it to Harry.

"While I do help out on some of the business like today, I am more involved with the school, and I need to get back to it. Hopefully, I will see the six of you back on Monday?"

I answered, "I hope so as well. Thanks to the both of you for coming out here for us."

Professor McGonagall replied, "Not at all, Mr. Weasley."

She and Madam Hooch walked out through the back door, and took their portkey back to Hogwarts.

As Harry and Ginny returned from Harry changing into regular clothes, Croaker knocked at the back door. Mum let him in. He was carrying a flask and a box. He said, "Potter, call Kreacher."

Harry called, and the house-elf entered the Burrow for the first time.

"Kreacher lives to serve Young Master." the elf said in greeting.

Croaker handed Harry the flask, and said, "This should help. Have Kreacher drink one swallow and honestly tell you how he feels."

Harry did this, and Kreacher answered, "Kreacher feels less sad and hopeless."

Croaker said, "This potion should be taken for another six days. One swallow per day, at about this time each day. Kreacher should also know that even with the Draught of Despair purged from his system more completely that he will feel sad more easily than he did before obeying Master Regulus' orders before Master Regulus disappeared."

Harry said, "Croaker's advise and instruction is my order to you."

"Kreacher lives to serve. Kreacher also thanks Young Master's Croaker for honoring the old ways. Kreacher is a good elf and will follow new ways for Kreacher's new Master and Young Master. Kreacher is also an old elf and likes to be reminded of the better parts of the Old Ways."

Harry asked, "Kreacher, how well do you get along with Remus Lupin?"

He replied, "Young Master's wolf has not hurt Kreacher directly. Kreacher did not like Young Master's Wolf because Young Master's Wolf worked for Kreacher's former master who hated him. Kreacher lives to serve. Kreacher will work with Young Master's Wolf."

"Thank you Kreacher. Your Master and I will try to visit the House of Black before we return to Hogwarts to see your progress with the house. I intend to make the House of Black a wonderful house once more."

Having a thought, Harry asked, "Is that your pensieve in the case, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore replied, "Yes, Harry. We will be viewing yours and Ron's memories in a few minutes."

Harry asked, "If Kreacher can share his memories of how Brave Master Regulus spent his last hours, I would be interested in seeing them. Wouldn't you?"

The Headmaster said, as he opened up the traveling case, "If Kreacher wishes to share those memories, I would be happy to see them as well."

Croaker said, "Dumbledore, this is what is left of the item we destroyed. There is not enough magic left for us to make a detector from, so we have no use for it. It's exactly what you thought it was, and I believe it was not the first _or_ second one he made. I'll bid you a good evening. If you think of anything after viewing the memories, let me know. If you want me to know right away, have Senior Mage Weasley send me a note. He was promoted _before_ bringing that _thing_ in and killing it, by the way."

Croaker stood away from the table and vanished.

§§§

We didn't finish with what could pass for "Order Business" until nine-thirty. Sirius and Remus came back to the Burrow at around five along with Dad, and Kreacher stayed on.

We watched Kreacher's memories first. By the time we finished watching them, Sirius was an emotional train wreck. Kreacher was also less resentful of Sirius Black.

We then watched my memories of the afternoon, from asking about Kreacher on to the locket going into the rinse bucket.

The other adults discussed what this meant, and how closely it matched my first life. I answered honestly, sharing what I could without making things more complicated later on. I reminded them also that even if this was my original world, this was no longer my 'original original' timeline because of changes I made almost ten years ago, and the changes those changes caused.

When the last of our visitors left, the six of us sat around the table. Neville, Harry, and I each drank a tokkuri, and the girls had pumpkin juice. We were mostly talked out already. We each bid Mum and Dad good night, and headed upstairs. We shed our clothes the second the door was closed.

It was more lovemaking than sex, but it was also more desperate than fun. Even Neville and Hermione, who _weren't_ in the Squad Room in one way or another needed the reassurance they could only give to and receive from each other.

It was after midnight before we were finally showered and in bed. We were all asleep almost instantly, hoping that we would be able to sleep-in in the morning. Our first taste of war, at least in this lifetime had come as a complete surprise. We had not been ready. But we were lucky.


	14. Chapter 14 A Spell in Time

**AN: If easily offended, skip from xxxxx to zzzzz. If very easily offended, stop at xxxxx**

 **AN-2: Lyrics to "Proud Mary" by John Fogerty quoted under fair use**

 **Chapter 14, "A Spell in Time" where Ron learns a new spell by casting…**

-BANG!- -BANG!- -BANG!—

"It's five to six. All of you need to get up! You need to meet Headmaster Dumbledore at 6:30. I'll explain when you come down for breakfast Wear your uniforms."

"Thanks, Mum, we're moving" I replied as I turned down the covers and sheet. We could all tell that something out of the ordinary, and not necessarily, welcome had happened overnight. Neville, Harry, and I checked our notebooks. Whatever it was, it hadn't gone through Croaker yet.

We were all tired from being up late the night before, but were alert and quickly dressed except for our shoes. Harry left his tie off and collar open. With the wing collar, I didn't blame him. We quickly cycled through the loo, and were eating breakfast by 6:10

As she served us, Mum said, "Not good news. Mr. Ollivander called Professor Dumbledore earlier this morning. He went into the shop early today and checked the Longbottom Wands. He told Dumbledore that the souls were weakening to the point that whatever is going to be tried needs to be tried _today._

"Professor Dumbledore said they are moving the Longbottoms to the DOM section of the 4th Floor, and that he and Mr. Ollivander will meet you there."

The six of us continued to eat quickly while listening. We each had a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice to go with our fry-up.

Harry and Neville finished first, but the rest of us finished less than a minute after then. Harry had Mipsy tie his tie for him. We all put on our shoes, grabbed our wives, and Portkeyed to St. Mungo's by way of our credentials.

Professor Dumbledore and Master Garrick were wafting for us when we arrived. Master Garrick had both Longbottom Wands with him. Dumbledore had a largish flask filled with a neon robin's egg blue coloured potion.

In greeting, Headmaster Dumbledore asked, "Mr. Weasley, is your familiar available?"

I gave Lucky Boy a quick call in my mind, and he was standing beside us.

"He's here. What are going to need to do?"

Dumbledore replied, "I will need you to actually cast the spells. You should have enough sensitivity to Soul Bonds, and indirectly to souls themselves, that along with your ability to dual-cast, you should be able to successfully push the souls of Frank and Alice back into their bodies."

Addressing the rest of the group, he said, "The rest of you are here for direct support. Harry, Ginny and you will be at Ron's right arm, and channel magical power to Ron as needed through your bonds. Luna, Neville, Hermione, and you will be at Ron's left arm, and channel magical power to Ron primarily for Frank Longbottom. Lucky Boy will help bridge Neville and Hermione to you.

Turning back to me, the Headmaster said, "I will also help, Ron, but this will be _your_ spell to cast. Due to their Soul Bond, we cannot risk trying to restore their souls one at a time. Due to the fragile condition of everything involved, the caster will require a gentle touch, but with the ability to both increase and decrease, the amount of power you will use.

"You should also draw more from Harry's magic for Alice, since Harry is Alice's godson, and she instinctively knows and accepts his magic where she may reject others. Likewise, you should draw on Neville's magic for Frank for the same reason.

"The spell's incantation is ' _Spiritus Restituet_.' The intent of the spell is to guide the soul back into its proper place in the body in one piece. You must make your magic, and the magic you draw from Harry and Neville as soothing as possible while moving Alice and Frank's souls fully back into their bodies.

"We will have healers on hand to perform physical healing as needed. The potion I have is a very rare and advanced healing potion. We probably won't be able to use it until after the souls are returned, but I will concentrate more on that. I will also guide you as you need guidance."

Our group was walking as Headmaster Dumbledore instructed us. We entered a two-bed secure room. Frank and Alice were on treatment gurneys rather than convalescent beds. They were in simple hospital gowns, covered only in sheets for modesty. Two DOM Healers were by each gurney, with a fifth in charge overall.

Garrick handed me the Longbottom Wands. I could tell easily by the magical "feel" which one was Franks, and which was Alice's.

I came around behind the head-ends of the gurneys. Alice was on the gurney to my right. Hearing the rustling of clothing, I noticed Harry removing his upper garments.

Harry said, "I can feel that we will need skin-to-skin contact between our hands and shoulders. Hermione, Luna, and Ginny should leave on their innermost top garment for modesty if they can. We boys should not."

Neville was already bare-chested. Hermione and Ginny kept their bras. Luna was bare-chested entirely. I quickly joined them. Harry and Luna, having direct bonds to me, each wrapped an arm around my back. They spread out their other arms, to grasp Ginny and Neville across their backs. Neville extended his left arm for Hermione, and they wrapped their arms around each other's backs.

"Healers," I asked. "How bad is their nervous scaring?"

The Healer in Charge answered, "There is very little apparent scaring. Physically, they are in good shape. We have done additional treatment in the past four days, but little was actually needed."

"Thank you, Healer," I replied.

I asked, "Headmaster, do you have any other guidance for me?"

He replied, "No. If you can focus on anyone's voice outside of the spell, focus on mine. The six of you will be physically supported, so don't worry about anything outside of the spell beyond my voice. Mage Sight might help you."

"Thanks," I answered.

I held the tip of each wand to the forehead of its prior wielder. Then, I cast; " _Spiritus Restituet_."

I had to incant a dozen gentle times before I could feel movement. I looked at the tips of the wands for any sign of "leakage." I didn't see any.

I asked, "Dumbledore, I have some movement. Are the souls going back in, or only _out?_ "

He replied, "I cannot tell yet."

I continued to incant, and gently "push" the souls out of the wands, and hopefully back into their bodies. After a few minutes of incanting and casting, I was able to feel the link that tied the soul portions in the wands to the soul portions that had remained inside of Alice and Frank.

I continued to incant, and gently push. The souls, after some hesitation, were being drawn back into their bodies. I used as much of Harry's magic directly from our bond, for Alice. I used Neville's magic indirectly though my bond with Luna, assisted by Lucky Boy for Frank.

I continued to incant, and gently push. The souls were being drawn back into their bodies more quickly. Time seemed to lose all meaning. Other than the silence waiting to be filled by Headmaster Dumbledore at need, there were only the wands, the spells, the magic, and the souls.

Once the souls were moving, I quickly fond the fastest pace that could push the souls without inflaming or irritating them. That fast, and no faster, I continued to nudge and urge the souls to return to their proper place.

It was a game of endurance. I incanted, I pushed, and I endured. I was occasionally interrupted by Dumbledore to drink something. I drank, while continuing to incant. I swallowed as I pushed. And, in a pale imitation of what Frank and Alice Longbottom endured these past almost ten years, I endured.

I continued to incant. I pushed, and I endured. Finally, with a last _shift,_ all of the portions of Frank and Alice Longbottom's souls that were trapped in their wands were no longer in their wands, but were once again in their bodies. With nothing left needing to be pushed, I ceased incanting. The spell was complete. Whether the next pages of the story were triumph or tragedy, I had done my part, as well as I was able to do it.

Coming back to the "outside" world, I noticed that all six of us were set up on racks, to maintain the alignment of our upper bodies, as they were when I started casting the spell. The hospital staff had covered us for modesty, after removing our clothing. We had vanishing pads on us beneath our hospital gowns and sheets.

Headmaster Dumbledore and Master Garrick had left and returned again. This particular room actually had windows and natural daylight. It was later in the day, relatively speaking, since I started casting the spell.

I asked, "How long has it been?"

Dumbledore answered, "Thirty hours. Everything seems to be working. Frank and Alice are expected to come back around sometime tomorrow."

I took a closer look at them. They actually appeared almost as young as they did in their pictures from ten years ago.

Sensing my confusion Dumbledore explained, "We started administering the healing potion once it became clear that the potion would not only not hinder the process of returning their souls, but would actually _help_ the process. They have need of only one or two more doses to ensure that they are well and truly healed. They will need counselling, of course. They have in effect been in a coma for the past ten years. They will have some memories of their time in the Janus Thickey Ward, but not that many."

By this time, I had regained movement of my body. I examined the two wands. They felt completely dead. I tried for a spark-shower from each one. They were both almost as if I were waiving a pair of dowels.

Master Garrick said, "The reconditioning of the wands was a success, Ron, in so far as the wands _could_ be reconditioned. However, a wand is not made to be the vessel for a human soul. Something had to give. In this case, it was the cores of the wands. Let me examine them."

Master Garrick walked over to me. I handed him the wands. He felt them, and paused in thought for a minute or two.

He said, "I think I will try something. I will either fail but learn something, or I will succeed, and also learn something. While what I learn may never be used again, I will share it with you anyway.

"You need to get your fellows and yourself back to your home. Your time here has not been restful, and you will need genuine rest. I suppose I will see you here tomorrow."

I replied, "I'm sure all six of us will be here tomorrow, Master Garrick. The question will be if I can get all of us _moving,_ or whether we'll _still_ be here, tomorrow."

Master Garrick left the room, just as the rest of us returned to the "real" world.

Harry awoke first, and after rifling through my most recent memories asked, "Can you help me with the rest of us?"

He called, "Odo, Mipsy, Kreacher."

All three house-elves appeared. He said, "We three masters will need help getting back to the Burrow shortly. First, we need our clothes."

With a snap of the fingers from each house-elf, our clothes were clean and at-hand. He put on his y-fronts, t-shirt, and trousers. He checked that he had his notebook and credentials in his trouser pockets, and that his holster and wand were still on his right arm.

He said, "Mipsy, help Mistresses Hermione and Luna get dressed enough to be decent for a quick meal. Kreacher, help Master Neville finish waking up and getting at least partially dressed."

Ginny was already awake and fully dressed. She turned to lend a hand with Hermione and Luna. Harry asked, "Do any of you know what Mum is fixing for lunch?"

Kreacher faded for a moment and answered, "Young Master's new mother is in the outside hallway. Kreacher can make a meal for Young Master, his family, and his friends."

Harry said, "Please do that, Kreacher."

"Kreacher is off to do Young Master's bidding," replied the house-elf as he snapped out of the room.

Harry drew his wand, and I saw a brief flash. He holstered it again, and Mum walked into the room.

Harry said to her, "Thanks for waiting, Mum. I've got Kreacher fixing something for lunch. After the six of us eat, we'll need some real sleep. We will probably sleep until breakfast tomorrow, and then eat a larger than usual breakfast to make up the difference between real meals and the 'potion shakes' they fed us."

The rest of us were now as alert and dressed as we were going to get. Harry had Mipsy and Odo shuttle Mum and the girls back to the Burrow. Deciding not to play "Portkey Roulette," Harry had Mipsy and Odo take the rest of us back to the Burrow.

We were fed, showered, and back in bed by half-four.

§§§

Thursday dawned bright and clear. What was even better was that we didn't get awakened until 7:30. We dressed quickly in our school uniforms, and went downstairs to the kitchen. After eating a very large breakfast, we Portkeyed back to the DOM section of the fourth floor, to encounter both Croaker and Lady Augusta walking toward us.

I checked the Mediwizard station first. Frank and Alice had awoken somewhat confused, but generally lucid around 6:30 the previous evening. They remained conscious, regaining further lucidity as the time passed. They ate a light meal together and were back in a normal sleep by about 9:00 PM. There were no messages left for me or anyone else.

By the time I had finished, Croaker and Lady Augusta had approached the Mediwizard Station. Neville and Lady Augusta were hugging and crying together. Only now, it seemed, did Neville realize that he might well actually have his parents back. Even with my unique experiences, I couldn't really imagine the emotional burden the two Longbottoms had carried together, or the mix of emotions they were living. An unfortunate circumstance they had lived for almost ten years had ended, not in tragic relief, but in what was starting to prove a dramatic recovery.

Croaker looked somewhat conflicted. As the Head of the Department of Mysteries, he would wish for, as much of the entire last two days as possible remain secret forever. He would want to study Frank and Alice, along with the remains of their former wands, to learn more about the conflicts and synergy between love, death, and time. As the uncle to Frank and Alice Longbottom, he probably wished, at least at first, to shout from the mountaintops that his nephew and niece would likely make a full recovery.

I greeted him. "Good morning, Croaker. Has any of this made it to the press, yet?"

"No, Senior Mage; and we wish to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"We are in the process of creating the 'legend' to explain Frank and Alice's recovery as being far more gradual than it truly was. Once they are released from hospital, they will remain mostly out of public sight at Longbottom Hall, at least at first. They will still need time to recover and resume their places in society in any case.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, Garrick Ollivander, and your Mage-Team's involvement is classified 'Most Secret,' as is just about everything else involved. Many parts of what took place, should they become known, would cause societal unrest beyond imagining. Moreover, Dumbledore had to trade most insistently on the good graces of a friend and mentor to produce the potion you may have seen."

"Did Dumbledore say who did the brewing?" I asked.

"No," Croaker replied.

Headmaster Dumbledore and Master Garrick arrived at the Mediwizard Station at that moment. Master Garrick was carrying two freshly completed wands. As Dumbledore and he drew closer, I could see that the wands were actually the Longbottom Wands, or at least gave every appearance of being so.

I greeted Master Garrick first. "Master Garrick, are those the remains of the Longbottom Wands?"

He answered, "They are more than that, Apprentice Weasley. They are the first wands I have successfully re-cored in almost a century. The Unicorn Stallion who gave the tail hairs for the original cores was a very long-lived animal; in fact, he lives as yet. I was able to get two more tail hairs from him, extract the remains of the original cores from both wands, and re-core them.

"At one time, re-coring wands was more commonly practiced, since the wood of the wand body would oftentimes be more magically powerful than virgin wood. The practice fell out of favour because of the time involved. Also, slight yet significant improvements in the sealing glues made premature core failure without contaminating the wand body almost unheard of.

"While we won't know for sure until Frank and Alice actually hold the wands whether the wands will accept them or not, the chances appear quite good. The wands are every bit as powerful as the day I originally crafted them if not more so.

"Once the Longbottoms are recovered enough to try having the wands choose them, I would like you present. While the final work, like the original is mine, the work you did on the wands allowed both them and their wielders to remain in the world of the living."

Dumbledore said, "Good morning, Ron. The Longbottoms are indeed making a full recovery, or at least as full as the circumstances will allow. They _have_ been more or less in a coma for the past ten years. They have not had the physical decline a Muggle would have had under similar circumstances. In fact, apart from needing more physical exercise to return to 'fighting' condition they are physically and magically in as good or better condition than they were _prior_ to the attack. However, they _have_ missed almost a decade of life. This is _not_ something one dismisses easily, if at all.

"Magically and physically, they are fully healed, as I have said. The particular potion you saw is, as you would say, 'Most Secret.' A normal Potions Master could _not_ brew that elixir. Not even Severus, who is probably the greatest Potions Master of this age."

I asked, "Was the potion what I _think_ it was, Headmaster?"

He replied, "Not quite. I do not need to even read your surface thoughts for that. It _is_ a derivative of _that_ Potion. However, while it requires the same skill-set to brew, and the same circumstances, it is both less _effective_ and less _addictive._ It will not sustain one over the centuries, though its healing effectiveness does reverse the ravages of time to an amazing degree. This buffering also provides a benefit.

"My friends, despite being obliged to wear glamours to not appear nearly as physically youthful as they actually are, have not been able to conceive in almost five hundred years. While they can perform the procreative act, and seem to enjoy that comfort rather frequently, their 'seed and pollen' are _too_ resilient; they refuse to join to make new life.

"While my friends do not need to imbibe their elixir _frequently,_ they _do_ have to partake of it from time to time, and failing that will rapidly decline and die.

"Frank and Alice will not have these 'burdens.' Young Neville may in fact have a sibling who is only a month or less younger than its nephews or nieces. Frank and Alice will not need any more of the healing elixir to live a long and 'normal' life, taking all things into consideration."

A DOM Mediwizard got our attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he stated, "the Healer is allowing Lord Frank and Lady Alice's request for all of you to join them in their room for a few minutes to say hello and take care of urgent business. Baring the unforeseen, they will be discharged from hospital tomorrow morning, to finish their convalescence at Longbottom Hall."

There were ten of us in the waiting area all told. There was Croaker, Headmaster Dumbledore, Master Garrick, Lady Augusta, and the three of us "first-year-couples." We all quietly followed the Mediwizard into the hospital room we had been in Tuesday and Wednesday.

The difference was almost like night and day. The window was actually open to allow "fresh" air into the room. Instead of two gurneys, there was a "full size" hospital bed. There were also a number of chairs in the room to allow most of us visiting to sit should we choose to do so.

Frank and Alice were sharing the bed, and wearing pyjamas instead of hospital gowns. Mipsy allowed us to see her as we walked into the room, before she faded from view.

Frank and Alice themselves were the biggest changes in the rooms. Unlike my memories from my previous lifetimes, and my brief observations Tuesday, they were both physically in great shape, at least from outward appearance. They had showered that morning, Frank had a fresh shave, and their hair was no longer grey or faded in colour.

Frank was the first to speak. "Thank you, all of you, for the parts you played in Lady Alice and my recovery. We will 'thin out' the crowd here, reducing it to family.

He turned first to Master Garrick. "Mr. Ollivander, I'm told that Alice and my wands did not survive the entirety of our ordeal?"

Master Garrick answered, "That is partially true. I was able to re-core both wands that had been Alice and yours. I'll hand you what was your wand first to see if it will choose you."

Master Garrick handed Frank the wand. The thick and instant shower of red and gold sparks proclaimed that it was once again Frank's wand.

Master Garrick handed Frank an Auror Holster to go with the wand. Frank wasted no time in pushing back his right sleeve and donning the holster. Two Auror Badges appeared on the blankets in front of Frank and Alice. Alice took one of the two, pinned Frank's holster, and set the badge on her nightstand.

Master Garrick handed Alice the other wand, handle first. The spark-shower was just as thick and instant, but was in yellow and black.

While Frank was pinning her holster, on her left arm, she explained. "I was _supposed_ to sort 'Hufflepuff.' Frank sorted into Gryffindor, though. I had words with the hat, and my 'bravery' in confronting it won me the 'Lion's Den.'"

Master Garrick told them, "There is no charge for any of the goods and services my apprentices and I have provided you. The alliance between their House and yours clouds any attempt to try calculating costs in any case. The new cores in your wands came from the exact same Unicorn who provided the originals; along with the cores in your son's wand and both wands my senior apprentice carries.

"Do any of you have any questions of me?" Master Garrick finished. No one did.

He excused himself, saying, "Then I will bid all of you a good day. My shop does not run itself. Albus, once my apprentices have settled better in their Hogwarts studies, I will want them to work and learn the Craft. I hope that between your Deputy and I that we can come up with a sufficient arrangement."

Headmaster Dumbledore replied, "I'm sure we will, Garrick, and a good day to you as well."

Master Garrick left the room to return to the shop.

Frank and Alice both got out of bed, and in turn hugged and kissed Augusta, Harry, Neville, and Hermione before getting back into bed.

Alice spoke next. "We've waited almost ten years for that, and didn't want to wait any longer.

"Thanks, Mum-Augusta for raising Neville for us. While Frank and I wish you'd kept up with having Neville attend the Mass, we understand why you didn't.

"Hermione, welcome to the family. 'Frank' and 'Alice' are good enough for addressing us. If we stuck with 'Lord of This' and 'Lady of That,' we'd be too busy tripping over titles to actually live life.

"Headmaster, we understand that the war is not exactly over, and you might need to gather the rest of the 'old crowd.' Frank and I will be proud to do our part. I also understand that everyone here knows about _all_ of the Soul Bonds in the room?"

Everyone nodded in assent. She continued, "This is good, then. I also trust that the one bond will remain secret for as long as possible for the benefit of my godson and the more public parts of his family?"

Everyone nodded their assent. Ginny and I both moved to Harry's side, each without realizing the other had done so, and with Luna barely half a thought behind me. Harry was both profoundly ashamed and slightly angry.

To get the subject of conversation onto what I hoped was a slightly "safer" topic, I asked, "Lady Alice, how are you so well-informed about current events?"

She got out of bed, and helped us silently comfort Harry. While doing this, she answered, "Mother to son, and father to daughter. You will have 'child-bonds' with all of your children until roughly when they hit puberty. Then, the bonds fade _very quickly._ The greatest challenge you will have in raising your children in fact will be 'learning' to read your children the same way that more 'typical' parents know and read their children. During their teenage years, when they will need your guidance the most, you will no longer have the child-bond to rely upon.

"To save us all time, I quietly 'read' Neville, for lack of a better way of explaining it. He _knew,_ but allowed me to do this. Our bond may last a little longer than normal because of our even more unique circumstances, but will fade.

"We don't disapprove of Harry and your bond. I consider you one of my own, just as I do Harry. We also understand how important your bond is to the both of you. We just don't want to see the two of you subject to public scandal or scorn. Obviously, even without your public bonds, you have all been honest and open with each other. So, there is at least one less thing to worry about.

"Please pass on to Molly and Arthur Frank and my gratitude for them hosting Neville and Hermione. We love all of our children and grandchildren, and wish to see more of them. We also saw our two eldest children cut to pieces before our very eyes, and weren't even able to help our Mum and Dad bury them. Since their 'extended sleep-over' includes wards as powerful as those that protect Hogwarts, we will say nothing beyond 'thank you for your hospitality.'"

Frank decided to say a few things. "Yes, Seneschal Weasley, welcome to the family. If your Lord allows, we may use Christian names with each other."

Harry asked, "Does that mean first names, Lord Longbottom? I grant this boon to my ally. I'm not sure what I should call you, though."

Frank got out of bed and hugged Harry. "I suppose 'Frank' will do, since from what I understand third-hand about your life 'Uncle' and 'Aunt' are not what you would consider terms of endearment, and that 'Mum' and 'Dad' are already taken. Harry?"

Harry hugged Frank back even tighter, while shedding "happy" tears and thanking Frank.

Once everyone had regained his or her composure, and Frank had returned to bed, he spoke again. "Uncle Algernon, Mum, has Uncle Saul been about at all?"

Croaker answered, "Your Uncle Saul hasn't changed while you've been 'away,' Frank. We _still_ have to send food down to the level more than occasionally. He and your Mum still don't get along with each other, despite being fraternal twins."

Frank said, "And don't think for _one second_ that making a Dog out of _my son_ evens the books for all the stupid shite you pulled on him to try and make him show his magic. If anything, it would be the _opposite,_ really. You're my Uncle, and I love you. But, _you are on notice._ "

Turning to me, he asked, "And how did you end up a _Dog,_ anyway? I would have thought that if you went into defence that you would have gone with the DMLE?"

I replied, "If previous lifetimes counted outside of the DOM, I have thirty-two years seniority with the Aurors, six months of which were as Head Auror. I discovered very quickly once I was 'conned' into taking the job, that I did not _like_ being stuck in an office all day. The Battle Mages had an opening, so I took that rather than retiring. I have fourteen years experience as a Dog before this time, and I started in the reserves in this lifetime a year and a half ago. I've only been on full active duty here since September 1st, and I was only promoted to Senior Battle Mage a week ago."

Frank said, "Congratulations, Ron. For what it's worth, I've been a Senior Auror for eleven years, but I've spent most of that time in this very building. Make sure you train Neville up well, and keep him as safe as you can."

I answered, "Neville has pulled his weight from prior to day one. After the war is over, he should still have plenty of opportunities in addition to the Battle Mage Office. While eleven is rather young to pick something for most people, I think he would do quite well in several fields."

I looked at the time. It was 10:50. I asked, "Are Alice and you restricted to hospital food?"

Alice answered, "Not really. Seeing that the Headmaster is here, I would like to invite him to remain with us, whatever you had in mind, Ron."

I said, "Thanks, Alice."

Turning to Mipsy, I asked, "Mipsy? How are the sandwich spreads holding out?"

She answered, "They should be fine, Master Ron, along with the potato salad. If Mipsy may suggest that Masters and Mistresses invite Master Ron's mother, and that Master Ron has Kreacher's Young Master have Kreacher bring the food? Mipsy could be told to help Otto bring a table and any needed chairs for Masters and Mistresses."

I caught a flash out of the corner of my eye. About a minute later, a silver wolverine entered the room. It said, "That sounds fine, Harry. Have Kreacher show himself to me before he brings me in."

The Patronus barely faded before Mum herself appeared, saying, "Thank you, Kreacher. You're a credit to the Most Ancient and Noble House you serve."

Turning to Frank and Alice, she said, "It's much better to see you under these circumstances than what might otherwise have been. Especially you, Alice."

Mum and Alice hugged each other in greeting, as the twelve-place table and food appeared. Dumbledore quietly called whichever house-elf he needed, and a side-cart appeared with his Armagnac decanter and crystal service.

The table itself was quickly set with places and chairs for all. The twelfth place was explained as Dad arrived, saying, "Thank you, Kreacher. Your service to your Master and Young Master are a credit to the House you serve."

Greeting the rest of us, he said, "Hello, all. Harry decided to invite me. I hope I'm not intruding?"

Frank replied, "No meeting of the 'old crowd' would be complete without you, Arthur. How's life been treating you with your 'Muggle stuff?'"

"Quite well, Frank, and it's a blessed sight to these eyes seeing Alice and you about again."

More hugs and handshakes were shared about as we took our seats. The elves quietly served the beverages around. Dad, Mum, Dumbledore, Croaker and Ginny took tea. The rest of us took coffee. Everyone except for Dad and the girls also took a snifter of House of Flamel.

Frank sat at the head of the table. He announced, "One of the more arcane parts of a Soul Bond is that after your first child, you have a much greater and more conscious choice of what gender of child you conceive and when. This is not only Alice's first dram since that night, but it's also her 'last dram' for the duration. We're expecting a son in June, shortly after the birth of our first two grandchildren." Everyone stood and drank a toast to the newly expecting couple.

As we passed around and ate the sandwich points and potato salad, we continued to talk.

"Hermione, how have your parents taken the news so far?" Alice asked.

She answered, "They're getting better. I'm sure you can imagine how a Muggle couple would handle their almost-twelve-year-old daughter coming home married and pregnant. They have gotten much better. Thankfully, they've also done so _quickly._ Even with Frank and you recovering, I will need help adjusting. Mum and Dad _are_ Mum and Dad, and it would hurt _a lot_ if I didn't have at least the idea of having them to turn to."

Alice said, "I understand more than you realize, though I was thirteen when Frank and I sealed, and we actually made it just over three years before Junior 'happened.' Do you know about how some families have unique magic that passes through the generations?"

Hermione answered, "Yes. I am curious about something. Could you draw and hold your wand?"

Alice did so. Catching on to what Hermione was curious about, she said, "Harry, try to cast a spell with my wand. You can trust us."

Rather than a flash, the silvery stag poured out of the upraised tip of the wand. It said shyly, "I love you, god-mum" before nuzzling Alice's ear and fading into her.

Alice replied, "I love you too, Harry. You were always happy to see me back in the day, Harry. Sometimes, you almost made your Mum jealous!"

Turning back to Hermione, Alice said, "In the case of the Longbottoms and Croakers, those families tended to have Soul Bond marriages much more frequently than other families. While Soul Bonds are not exclusive to our lines, they have happened frequently enough that our library at Longbottom Hall is probably the single greatest library in the world on the subject. It's certainly the greatest one not owned by a government or major magical school.

"There's far more 'upside' than not for Soul Bonds, but 'every form of refuge has its price.' Once Frank and I are up to receiving more company, we will want to meet your parents anyway, and sooner rather than later. If you go ahead with a Church wedding, it will be at your Parish rather than ours because of the time and timing, but we will want to help them and you with it if you would like?"

Hermione answered, "Of course I would! Mum and Dad were always better about 'sending' me to Mass than _taking_ me, so I'm sure they will appreciate the help as well. You'll need to let them feel like they're in charge, though. They haven't felt a lot of that with me, lately."

Alice replied, "I understand. Who is your Bishop?"

Hermione replied, "Bishop Luke Mayhew."

Alice said, "He was our Parish Priest when Frank and I were married.

"Those wizards who practice any form of Christianity tend to be mostly Catholic, followed by Ethiopian, Coptic, and Orthodox in that order. The Protestants were much fonder of murdering witches and wizards than the more established sects. They even killed off more than a few of their own _Muggle_ followers after believing false accusations. They very well may have sped up the adoption of the International Statute of Secrecy by a century or more.

"The Longbottoms managed to avoid Protestant notice while gaining Catholic favour, which is why we, along with the line of Ignotius Peverell, have the peerage ranking of Earl, and have had since the time of Charles the First. When Fleamont Potter re-established his claim to the peerage and "Most Ancient and Noble" status back in the 1930s, he relied more heavily on the Peverell claim than the equally valid claim for the Potter line. Thus, while Harry's family name is 'Potter,' his house is ' _Peverell-Potter.'_ The Wizengamot fought tooth and nail against Lord Fleamont, but he had the money. After the war, he was one of only five wizards to win both the Order of Merlin First Class and the Victoria Cross. This put paid to the blood-purists, and the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter was re-established. The other four wizards, by the way, were Albus Dumbledore, Charlus Potter, Septimus Weasley, and Herbert Longbottom, Neville's grandfather.

"The Longbottoms and Potters both had been parishioners of Westminster Cathedral for several generations, despite our seats of power being in Kent and Somerset respectively. Lily Evans, unlike her sister, was a regular practitioner. James at least went through the motions to keep in Fleamont's good graces, though Fleamont and Euphemia spoilt him something rotten.

"Back to the here and now, though. Since we _know_ Bishop Mayhew, we can get the conversion process cleared up in a week instead of the modern conversion process, which takes up to a year or more. But that will depend on Neville _honestly believing_ , and that is Neville's decision alone. The biggest difference that will make will be that you would have a full Mass instead of just a 'Service,' as they do with mixed couples today. 'Once upon a time,' the Priest would not solemnise a mixed marriage in the Church _at all._ He would perform the ceremony in the Rectory or at some other location instead. They haven't done things that way since the 1950s or so, so there isn't the difference there used to be."

Turning things to more secular subjects, Frank asked, "So I understand you just started apprenticing under Garrick Ollivander, Harry?"

Harry answered, "I have, Frank. I've only worked the one day so far, but it is really interesting. I helped clean Alice's wand, while she and you were still in them. I also helped watch the wands during a later stage of the process. When Ron and I had finished, the wands weren't quite done yet, and we could barely feel the life in the wands starting to come back, at least I _think_ it was the wands Ron and I felt, and not you?"

I interjected, "It _was_ the wands, Harry. The wands felt like _wands._ While I'll be sure to have Master Garrick teach _both_ of us the difference, it's something that _Master Garrick_ was able to feel, _after_ the wands were almost done with the reconditioning process."

Harry said, "I have a feel for the wands, Frank. I owe Master Garrick at least one genuine try at getting my Journeyman's Card as a Wand-Crafter. Unless I work with Ron, though, I don't think I'll try running a shop. I don't know if the UK has the 'room' for another shop, I don't feel like moving elsewhere, and I will not turf Ron out."

He asked me silently, _"Old Man, Professor Dumbledore's wand is telling me 'not yet.' Why would it do this?"_

I answered him through our bond, _"Headmaster Dumbledore's wand is not an ordinary wand. It was once a Peverell Heirloom, but has 'left' the family many centuries ago. The wand senses your blood, and wants to choose you. But it doesn't want to leave Headmaster Dumbledore right away. Also, only ask him about the wand when it is just the two of us with him. There is a story behind that wand, and people must continue to_ forget _that the story is true, and about the wand Dumbledore carries."_

" _Ok, Old Man. You_ will _tell me the story later, right?"_ he asked.

I nodded to him in answer.

Lunch concluded with the arrival of Frank and Alice's Healer.

"It's one o'clock, ladies and gentleman," the Healer announced. "Senior Auror and Auror Longbottom need to rest for a while, now. In fact, they are mostly still here just to rest and recover their magic from being healed, and being in a form of magically induced coma for as long as they've been. Baring complications, they should be released tomorrow afternoon, though they will need to see a Mind Healer for at least two months; longer if they see the need."

Harry and Neville guided Frank and Alice back to bed, though they needed to do the guiding far more than the elder Longbottoms needed guides. Each boy received a hug from their 'adult' as the elder Longbottoms got back into bed.

Croaker was the first to excuse himself. He asked, "May I accompany the two of you back to the Hall tomorrow?"

Frank answered, "I suppose so, Uncle Algernon. Aunt Enid will have other commitments, _right?_ "

Croaker replied, "I'm sure she will. Once again, welcome back to the both of you. I'll let you know tomorrow afternoon when your recovery 'started,' and how soon you will be 'recovered.' DOM Medical Section is still working on that." Croaker vanished via his credentials.

Dad left next, after kissing Mum on the cheek. He said, "Thanks for having me over. And, don't worry about Neville and Hermione. They're well behaved and nice to have around. Harry's even adopted her as his older sister. Haven't a clue how they did it, really. But the magic took _somehow._ "

Frank answered, "You're welcome, Arthur, and thank you for your hospitality on behalf of my kids."

Dad spun in place, and was back to work.

Augusta was the next to leave, saying, "I'll pop by around supper time or so to visit a while longer. It's amazing after all these years to be able to visit with the two of you, and have you visit back." Frank and Alice got out of bed again long enough to hug and kiss Augusta, before she walked out of the room.

Mum left next, saying, "Harry, if you can have Kreacher drop me off at the Rookery, and make whatever he and you decide for supper. I'll have your Dad meet me at the Rookery. Unless they have other plans, we'll be hosting Xeno and Pandora for supper at 6:00."

We all hugged and kissed Mum, before Kreacher made himself visible.

The house-elf asked, "What would Young Master's mother and Young Master want for supper?"

Mum answered, "I have two Capons, and some bread that I let dry for stuffing, along with potatoes and vegetables. A treacle tart or two for desert should also be good, along with rolls and a salad. Will six in the evening work for you?"

The house-elf answered, "Kreacher lives to serve. Young Master's mother's meal will be ready when Young Master's family is ready to eat it." Kreacher left, taking Mum with him.

We six bond-mates were alone with Frank and Alice. Frank said, "I wish we were there for you…"

Neville replied, "You _were_ there, _both_ of you, as much as you could be. I suppose that part of the memories your bodies held will come back to you, since you hadn't completely left them. You _will_ be there for me from now on, which is more important, anyway. Please don't doubt that I love the both of you, and that I know you both love me.

"I also know that since you both love me, that you want me to continue accepting Harry and Ron's hospitality for as long as they will have me and as long as I don't become a burden. Don't worry. I'll see the two of you tomorrow. In the mean time, rest and reacquaint yourselves with each other."

One more round of hugs and kisses followed, before we Portkeyed back to the Burrow. 

§§§

As soon as the six of us were back in the kitchen, Harry said, "I'm guessing that Mum thought we might want to do something that went beyond the bedroom. How are all of you feeling?"

Hermione replied, "Horny enough, but _no flying._ "

"Spoilsport! JINX!" Harry and Ginny retorted in unison.

Harry continued, "I wasn't thinking of that, since it is a little cooler today. Part of what the loser does might come to that, though.

"There's a Muggle card game called 'Twenty-one' or 'Blackjack' that is easy enough to play as a stripping game. We would play as three couples instead of six individuals.

"The game is easy enough. It's normally played against the person dealing, but we will rotate the deal with each hand and just play against each other. Each player receives a card face up and another one face down. The face cards are worth ten, the ace is either one or eleven, and the number cards are worth their number.

"To win the hand, you must get as close to twenty-one points as you can without going _over_ twenty-one. After the first two cards are dealt, the dealer will go to each player in turn and offer cards, one at a time, until the player says they have enough.

"If you 'lose,' each person in your couple looses one piece of clothing. If you go _over,_ each person looses _two_ pieces of clothing. If two hands tie to win, each hand will receive one card, and the one who receives the higher card wins to break the tie. Sound good?"

Luna suggested, "Let's try a hand or two before we actually start, so we have an idea what we're doing. I'm guessing that only Neville hasn't a clue, since you grew up Muggle, and Ron, Ginny, and I saw most Muggle card games at least indirectly when studying for our GCSEs."

We played two hands for practice, and everyone understood the rules.

Luna said, "If you're wearing a bra, it comes off with the undershirt. Otherwise, one piece of clothing. Ties count, but not belts or braces. Shoes and socks count as two. Also, the losers have to retrieve their clothing from Neville's clearing _after_ we all have sex, and _before_ they will be allowed to shower and dress. Girls will undress your guy, and guys will undress your girl. Fair enough?"

Everyone agreed. This also left us with the same number of pieces of clothing.

Harry dealt the first hand. Ginny and He stayed on nineteen. Luna and I stayed on seventeen, and Neville and Hermione drew for a twenty-eight.

Harry quipped, "Hermione, no one had a ten or ace showing, except for your Queen. You only had twelve cards that would help you and a lot more that that wouldn't."

Hermione dealt the second hand. Ginny and Harry stayed on eighteen Luna and I stayed on seventeen. Neville and Hermione drew for a twenty-four. They were now barefoot, Luna and I were in our stockings, and Harry and Ginny were still fully dressed.

Hermione asked, "Would you have stayed on _fourteen,_ Harry?"

"Nope!" he replied. "I'd have stayed on _eighteen,_ though."

I dealt the third hand. Ginny drew for a twenty-three, Luna and I drew for a twenty-five, and Neville and Hermione stayed on seventeen. Harry and Ginny were two pieces of clothing down, and Luna and I had caught up with Neville and Hermione.

Harry extended his left foot to Hermione. He said, "It will be easier to have you remove it before I put my foot in my mouth again.

Instead of claiming the shoe, Hermione tickled Harry, and took his right sock before he recovered. Ginny let Neville remove her right sock, after Harry rolled it down to her ankle.

Ginny dealt the fourth hand. Harry drew for a twenty-two, Luna and I drew for a twenty-four, and Neville and Hermione drew for a twenty-eight. Harry and Ginny were now barefoot. The rest of us were also short our robes and ties.

Neville dealt the fifth hand. Ginny drew for a twenty-two. Luna and I drew for a seventeen. Neville and Hermione stayed on nineteen. Ginny and Harry lost their robes and ties. Luna and I removed our vests.

"'Bout time I was shut of that!" Harry exclaimed in relief.

"Don't be so dramatic,' Hermione chided as Neville removed her jumper vest.

"You're just jealous that you can't remove the 'slingshot' without showing anything," he retorted.

This got a "humph" from Hermione as she removed Neville's vest.

Luna dealt the sixth hand. Ginny and Harry stayed on seventeen. Neville and Hermione drew a nineteen. Luna and I had a natural twenty-one.

After Neville removed her shirt, she had him un-tuck her undershirt, and reach under at the back to unhook her. She drew her arms inside her undershirt, one at a time, and Neville pulled her bra out and set it with the rest of her clothes. She and Harry stuck out their tongues at each other.

Harry dealt the seventh hand. He and Ginny drew a twenty-two. Neville and Hermione drew a twenty-three. Luna and I drew a twenty-four. We removed each other's trousers and skirts. All six of us were slightly "damp" in our own ways from the excitement.

Luna asked, "What if we tie again?"

This was a good question. Hermione and Ginny were down to their panties. Luna and Hermione had their t-shirts since Luna didn't wear a bra, and Hermione had ditched hers. We guys were in our t-shirts and y-fronts.

Harry said, "We'll think of something else. We might need to anyway, since it's a quarter after two. Having the 'thrill' of 'maybe' getting caught is a lot more fun than doing something where you _will._ Mum and Dad have bent over backwards for us with all of this stuff. It would be mean and rude of us to actually embarrass them."

Hermione dealt, and if it were possible, Luna had jinxed us. We all went over twenty-one, and finished stripping. We each removed our own tops and underpants in the centre of the circle one at a time, leaving them in a pile where we'd dealt the across just minutes earlier. We were all excited, despite having seen each other before frequently. We each "admired the view," and were admired in turn.

Harry asked, "I should have thought about this before, but can anyone outside of the wards see us go between the Burrow and Hermione's clearing?"

I answered, "Not really. The wards go up high enough that Rita Skeeter couldn't fly that high as a beetle. Valentine was a fluke. From the ground, you can barely see the front of the house. Unless you're keyed in, it's almost as good as a Muggle Privacy Fence."

Harry said, "Ok, since this is a tie, we'll all put on our sandals and run out to Hermione's clearing. We'll take off each other's sandals, bring our girls to mutual climax 'in front,' and run back after putting our sandals back on. The last couple back does the dishes; the second couple clears the table."

Hermione replied, "Not quite, Harry. Neville and I will need a bit of a handicap. Neither of us is as fast as the rest of you, and my breasts flop if I run without a bra. Whoever is first, second, and third _out_ to the clearing will keep track of that to make things fair.

"But the couples have to hold hands, there and back. After Ron and you take care of Ginny and Luna, you will give us a handicap by nailing each other in the clearing like you did him on your broom! If Ginny and Luna want to take care of themselves while waiting, that's fine. Neville and I will be doing more than just watching you."

Harry said, "Let's try it." Our sandals and a tube of 'jelly' appeared as our uniforms disappeared. We got "dressed," and walked out of the kitchen door, holding hands as we went.

We lined up facing towards the path to the clearing. Harry picked up a rock.

He said, "I'll throw this rock up in the air. When it lands, go."

He threw the rock into the air. It landed, and off we ran.

xxxxx

It only took about three minutes or so to run out to the clearing. Streaking while holding hands made it much more exciting, and made the run seem longer. Neville and Hermione didn't have nearly so hard of a time keeping up as they thought. They were only five seconds behind Luna and me. Ginny and Harry were almost half a minute faster than Luna and me. They were already naked, with their holsters and the 'jelly' sitting on top of their sandals, going at it like there was no tomorrow. I wasted no time in throwing privacy wards up around the rest of the clearing.

The rest of us removed our sandals, and joined them, combining affection and lust as best we could. Luna and I were going slowly, but she was also "clinching" as hard as she could, and I was also going hard against her g-spot and "button" as I went. We built up to a mutual climax without realizing that we had synched up with Harry and Ginny. When we all climaxed in unison, Luna and I almost fainted.

As our heads cleared, we quickly realized that Harry and Ginny were taking care of "both doors." Ginny was shouting encouragement to Harry, which I decided to 'tune out.'

Luna said, "Be a dear, and summon the 'jelly.' We'll be here a while longer. After I get a dab for us, toss it to Hermione. If she's the only girl not bent over when we run back, she'll feel left out."

I summoned the 'jelly', and noticed that the cap wasn't snapped on. Luna added, "She likes it in back just as much as he does, so they probably fingered some in as foreplay."

I put some on the tips of her fingers and the palm of her hand, before tossing the tube to Neville. I was slow entering Luna. Judging by the gasped "OGOWHD!" Neville wasn't.

Luna and I came to a mutual climax "hands-free" in about five minutes, kissing passionately as we went. The shout of "TREVOR!" less than half a minute later told us of Hermione and Neville's progress.

Ginny and Harry climaxed right after that, and Luna and I _did_ faint for a moment from the feedback. Once we all collected our breaths, Harry traded places with Ginny on the towel that had showed up in the clearing before we had gotten there.

Harry told me, "You'd better nail me good, Old Man! Otherwise, I'll put an _Engorgio_ on mine after you sit on it."

I had a feeling that Harry and I would be doing the dishes tonight. So, I decided to make the best of it.

I asked, "Have you heard Ike and Tina Turner's cover of 'Proud Mary,' Brat?"

"I'm hearing it now, Old Man," he answered.

As I kissed his feet and rested his ankles on my shoulders, I said, "That's how I'm giving it to you, Brat. Nice and _easy,_ followed by nice, and _rough._ "

As I caressed lovingly between his cheeks, I started singing to him.

 _Left a good job in the city_

 _Working for the Man ev'ry night and day_

 _But I never lost one minute of sleeping_

 _Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been_

 _Big wheels keep on turnin'_

 _Proud Mary Keep on burnin'_

 _Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' on the river…_

He joined in singing as I fingered the 'jelly' in to both him and me, and lubed him up to be ready.

I entered him "nice and _easy,"_ as I said I would. I got "rough" after he was "warmed up." I nailed him as hard as I could, while we both continued to sing "Proud Mary," even making up new verses as we went.

We barely finished climaxing together before I tucked my ankles under his bum. As I ran out of his bum and onto my ankles, I got on him and rode him like a demented carousel horse.

It's just as well that we were still as horny as we were, and climaxed quickly. Even with alternating between slow and fast singing, and even making up another verse here and there, "Proud Mary" isn't exactly _War and Peace_ or _The Iliad_.

We both realized at the same time that we needed to go. We went to the very edge of the clearing and squatted facing each other while holding hands. I could feel myself blush even though I was not facing the others.

Harry said, "It happens sometimes."

Hermione retorted, "It's about _time_ it happened to the two of you. The same time you had your Patronus make faces at me, we finished with me on my hands and knees, with my legs together and Neville straddling. I went down the back of my legs and it landed on the back side of my knees! If Neville hadn't already learned _Aguamenti_ , I'd probably _still_ be out here too embarrassed to come back to the Burrow."

Sensing we both were done, I banished the mess, and hit our bums with a warmed wandless _Aguamenti_ and a drying charm rather than use leaves or the flannels for _that._

Neville and the girls had decided to get at least somewhat cleaned up before going back up to the Burrow. There were now _three_ pans instead of the one. We rotated through taking warm soapy wand-showers and drying off.

Ginny said, "We'll need to shower out here once more. It's only a quarter past three, so we've got time to eat each other. We girls will go first, then we'll have you conjure stools for us to sit on when it's our turn."

They knelt before us, and took us in their mouths, while we looked through each other's eyes. We barely lasted five minutes.

Ginny said, "Now, it's your turn. Conjure us three stools, about 'this' high for us to sit on."

She basically wanted three bar stools, so that was what she got.

The girls each got up on a stool. They tossed the 'jelly' back and forth, and lubed the soles of their feet. We guys figured it out without the girls having to "connect the dots."

Ginny made Harry rest his hands on her knees. They barely lasted a minute, and _she_ climaxed first. Luna and I held hands. We lasted three minutes, but we weren't in that big of a hurry. Hermione wasn't that coordinated, but Neville didn't care. They lasted two minutes before climaxing together. Neville had to hold her feet and thrust. But his tongue was the most limber between the three of us guys, and he got the job done for both. He also followed our example and kissed his way up from her feet to her mouth.

It was five to four before we were cleaned up again. Hermione said, "We'll clear the table and help wash up. Just don't lose too much track of the time walking back. You'll need time to help Ginny and Luna in the shower, especially Ginny."

zzzzz

Ginny added, "Luna and I'll set your sandals up in the bedroom. Don't dawdle, but don't rush _too_ much, either."

Neville and the girls took off at a jog. Whichever house-elf was minding things took care of everything else. Harry and I walked back toward the Burrow, holding hands, and wearing only our holsters and wristwatches.

Harry said, "At least we had sex before they 'got pushy'."

"How so," I asked.

"I've been kinda nervous about the 'church stuff' with Neville and Hermione. I didn't know how to even talk about it with _you,_ much less Neville. So, Ginny and Luna got me even hornier than normal, had me have a great time, had a great time themselves, and dumped me off to talk to you about it and get my head around it better. Ginny has 'curtained off' her end, but I bet she and Luna are talking to Hermione and Neville right now. They're easy enough to talk too.

"See, I _don't_ want to tell Neville and Hermione how to live, and I'm beyond happy for them. But, my experience with 'church stuff' isn't quite the best, even without us having a sexual relationship with each other, which would have the Vicar in Little Whinging eating fire and shitting brimstones. I can also feel you feeling uneasy when it comes up."

I explained, "Harry, no one is perfect. So, don't be too quick to judge. There are many people in many walks of life, who say that the rules are for everyone else, but not for them. There are also people who follow the rules, but crow so loudly about it that it doesn't make that big of a difference.

"According to the bible and Church teachings, _any_ sexual act that is not the act that can get a girl pregnant, or _any_ act other than with your already-married-to-you spouse born of the opposite gender is wrong. Even masturbating is seen as wrong. They allow oral sex as foreplay only, providing you actually climax only during vaginal sex. _I_ am uneasy _for us_ because by the time either of us had a clue what kind of relationship we had stumbled into, we were already bound to it. Unlike other people, we really _don't_ have any choice except to share our bodies with each other.

"In my first lifetime, the Church rules actually _weren't_ a problem for me. After that Hermione and I married, I didn't really _want_ to do anything like that unless I was sharing it with her. And we were both much more about cherishing and pleasing each other than being particularly adventurous during sex. While we both went down on each other, masturbated each other, and even had anal sex together a few times, we just didn't do it much beyond trying it, and even then it was more curiosity than anything else. Of course, I was also the one bringing Hugo and Rose with me to Confession and Mass, taking them to CCD classes and so on, all the while being polite with the Pastor and finding new ways to avoid telling him to ask Hermione _directly_ why she wasn't at Mass with the rest of us.

"During my second lifetime, I fell out of practicing the Faith, but didn't have any particular issues either. In that lifetime, the war, or at least my personally being in mortal peril, started out on the Hogwarts Express. By the time that Daphne and I first had sex, I hadn't even masturbated. Had I gone back to attending Mass regularly, _Daphne_ would have had more problems than I would have. We weren't all that adventurous, either.

"I just think that you've had too much garbage dumped on you for me to _not_ be nervous about religion. While you had things much rougher than I did, I had to sit back and _do nothing_ for you directly, since there truly was _nothing_ I could do for you directly that would actually help instead of making things worse…"

Harry hugged and kissed me passionately. Once we broke the kiss, he said, "That is just a small part of why I will always love you, Ron.

"If you want, we can talk to Hermione's Bishop. If he has an answer that does not involve waiting for the 'zombie sex' to come back, or us being _glued_ together under pain of torture or the like, we'll hear him out.

"As for Neville and Hermione, that's up to them, and we'll both need to remind them that. Neville's my friend and brother, and Hermione's my friend and sister, and that we love them both. They share our bed and join in with our 'dare games' because they _want_ to. They can stay or not, whichever they want. Providing they aren't jerks about it, or blaming us for _their_ hang-ups, it really doesn't bother me either way. Ginny and Luna are 'stuck' with us; Hermione and Neville _aren't,_ at least not in the same way.

"I'm sure they won't be jerks, though. If they would be, we'd have already seen it. We just need to let them know that if they both want to go with or stay with that church, that it's fine with us. Just so long as they don't rub it in our faces, or blame _us_ for _their_ failings,

"Besides that, I think that if there is a God, that he's much smarter than us, and that if he doesn't like what we're doing that he will show us at least one different way that doesn't actually involve torturing other people or causing others to die. I've never heard of a Saint being made one for torturing and killing others. Jesus also stopped the Pharisees from killing the adulteress, simply telling her to go and sin no more.

"If we try to break this bond of ours, we risk killing _each other_ as well as ourselves. If we wait for the 'zombie sex' or lock ourselves away or something, we're hurting _each other_ along with Ginny and Luna as well as ourselves, too. Muggle gays don't deal with that, and neither do most wizarding ones.

"And if I understand what you learned about Dumbledore, I don't think _he_ is all that good an example, either. _Anything_ you would do to _Gellert Grindelwald_ is not something you would do to a family member or friend, and you are _both_ to me as well as a lover. If I tried that shite with you, Luna would kill me. If _you_ tried it with _me,_ Ginny would kill the _both_ of us!

"And you're also right about not blaming the Catholics for the Church of England and vice versa. And in their defence, the Church of England was my optometrist until quite recently; and there are only so many bad things you can say about someone if you only see them twice a year." He giggled slightly as he said the last of that.

It was now 4:30. I picked Harry up "bridal style." and carried him into the house.

§§§

Dad and Mum came in precisely at 6:00. We had just over forty-five minutes of "nude-wife's-hair" brushing before our clothes arrived in the living room and we got dressed. Kreacher, who was actually watching the house and taking care of us "solo," had managed to do all the appearing and disappearing of stuff for us and take care of a moderately fancy meal at the same time. Mipsy had even shown him how to keep our tokkuri hot, and to let it stay empty long enough for us to realize that we had finished it before refilling it. Kreacher could have also served dinner at 6:00, but he held it until we had seated ourselves around the table at four past the hour.

We talked casually around the table while we ate. When we finished dessert, Kreacher cleared the table and left tea for Mum, Brazilian Limeade for the girls and tokkuri for Dad and us boys. Mum surprised us by letting Kreacher get on with it without a fuss. Mum explained, "Some work is nicer than other work. While your Dad and I do _not_ want to know the details, we haven't been leaving the house thinking you were playing exploding snap. We've yet to come home to find the lot of you still carrying on and there hasn't been a mess either.

"Just remember to be nice to those who are your social _inferiors,_ as well as your peers and 'betters.' Also, don't forget how to mind after yourselves. The social ladder runs both ways, and sometimes a rung or two will break on you." That was good for a round of hugs and kisses from all of us.

We excused ourselves at 7:15 because we were tired, and wanted to go to sleep early. We still had a full day lined up for Friday. We were picking up our formal wear for the Dursleys' Memorial Service in Little Whinging Saturday morning, and the funeral service itself in the village of Dursley later that day. We also needed to visit Number 12 Grimmauld Place for lunch, and would accompany Frank and Alice home to Longbottom Hall Friday Afternoon. Even wearing casual clothes and sandals, we would be fairly busy. We set food and fresh water down for our familiars, and went upstairs to bed.

We were starkers as soon as the door latched, and in bed together almost as fast. Neville asked, "So which one of you two ambushed the other while Ginny and Luna ambushed Hermione and me."

Harry replied, "We both did, Neville. Since it was bothering you, and maybe still is, we _did_ need to talk.

"I don't want to make Hermione and you uncomfortable around me. The both of you mean too much to me to do that. Ron doesn't want anyone making _me_ feel bad, either. He _knew_ what I was going though with the Dursleys, and was _utterly powerless_ to help me until we met at King's Cross. So, he tends to get his back up really quickly if things go sideways.

"If you want to look into catching back up with your Sacraments, go for it. Ron said that he and I would talk to Hermione's Bishop too, just in case there was some loophole where we wouldn't have to have our Soul Bond broken, or live on different continents or something like that. We all need something bigger than us to believe in.

"Just don't make Ron and me feel like shite if it works for you, but not for us. If you want to sleep in the same bed like we've been, or have sex at the same time or the other stuff we've done, no problem. If you stop just because it isn't right for Hermione and you anymore, no problem there, either. We can work it out if it comes to that so we aren't doing it at the same time and place.

"Most of me _knows_ that Ron and I have no reason to worry. But part of me is still locked in the cupboard beneath the stairs, wearing shoes to bed that don't fit, and waiting for the axe to fall. I'm _sorry…_ "

Hermione and Neville managed to shift around Luna and me, and were both holding and hugging Harry. Once he was calm again, they switched back to their places.

Hermione said, "No worries, Harry. We're here because we _like_ being here, we _like_ you, and we _need_ to be with you just as much as you need us. That won't change, and we _won't_ dump you, or Ron, or Ginny, or Luna.

"I've masturbated at least three times per week since I turned eleven. The Religious Education teachers didn't even cover that until Confirmation class, so I didn't know it was wrong. I have confessed it to the Priest. He may have made me say more prayers in penance, but he didn't throw me out of the Church or anything like that. Priests aren't even allowed to say anything about what you confess to them, ever.

"They want you to do what's right, but they aren't looking to destroy you the very minute you fail. And like you said, Ron's and your situation is _not_ what they usually see, not even wizarding priests. They will have to figure it out just like you will. And, except for catching your man being pleasured by two other men, Mum and Dad have done _everything_ else Neville and I have done at least once, and that's just what I've caught them at.

"So, don't worry. We won't betray your trust in us," she finished.

"Thanks, sis…"he answered as he fell asleep. The rest of us soon followed.


	15. Chapter 15 Return to the Castle

**AN: If easily offended, skip chapter. It IS "M" rated.  
**

 **Chapter 15, "Return to the Castle" where Ron resumes his studies…**

The rest of the week wasn't nearly as troublesome as it could have been. We were able to pick up our clothes for the Dursley Funeral Services first thing Friday Morning. Madam Malkin had outdone herself with the work. All the clothing fit perfectly. It was charmed to the point that it could be expanded to fit us correctly up to around age 15 or so, should we need it. With minor changes to the accessories worn, the identical formal wear would also be perfect for our weddings in mid November.

When we visited number 12 Grimmauld Place, the house was more or less presentable and in good repair inside and out. It was very clean and ready for occupancy. Kreacher got help from the Peverell-Potter and Longbottom house-elves. While there were some major repairs needed, the house was in good order. Kreacher had moved all Dark artefacts in to a single room for Sirius, Remus and me to evaluate further. When I asked him, Remus told me that he had already arranged for the repairs. They would happen before the end of October.

Frank and Alice Longbottom's homecoming also went nicely. Despite their fascination with the three public Soul Bonds, including Neville and Hermione's bond, the press completely missed the Longbottoms' recovery; not that any of us cared a bit about their being left out.

We truly enjoyed the absence of the press. This homecoming, after almost ten years, was an occasion for family and friends, after all. Headmaster Dumbledore, Croaker, Saul Croaker, Mum, and Dad were there along with Lady Augusta and the six of us assorted bond mates. We had an early dinner, and visited with each other before Mum, Dad, the two Croakers, and the Headmaster left.

We spent the night at Longbottom Hall. It was also the first night that Harry and I had _not_ been together since the 31st of August. I had to reassure him frequently over our bond that neither the bond nor I were going anywhere. I also needed to reassure him that _no one_ was "keeping score" with who did who or how frequently.

Ginny and Luna managed to reassure him as well. They told him that while we would _all_ be together far more frequently than not, that each couple, including him and me, would need to be "alone together." She also reassured him that he would gradually accept this, as he recovered from being raised up to that point by the Dursleys.

Luna and I spent a wonderful night together, both emotionally and physically. Judging by their expressions at breakfast Saturday Morning, so did Harry and Ginny. Neville and Hermione had the best time of all, judging by their ecstatic yet tired expressions. They had been with us quite willingly, and would spend far more nights with the rest of us than not. They both had bonds beyond mere friendship with Harry, and those bonds had them share beds, though not bodies with Harry and the rest of us. But, they also needed time _alone_ with each other.

Saturday had actually started rather early with breakfast at 7:00. We were all freshly showered and in casual clothes as we had been Friday. Harry and I had both worn our sandals instead of trainers. We spent the morning touring the grounds and greenhouses. Neville was a good host and guide. He also left Harry and me alone frequently. We needed this, since our bond reasserted itself a couple of times through the morning.

We were walking through one of the greenhouses dedicated to non-hazardous Muggle plants. We had been walking alone, and holding hands when the "urge" hit me. Harry and I looked around and saw that we were alone. I held and kissed him, and he returned my attention.

I told him, "I want to blow you."

"I want to 'help' you while you do. The bench behind me is about the right height. Pull my trousers and y-fronts down, and boost me up on the edge."

We did this quietly. "Ok, now take my sandals, trousers, and y-fronts off and set them on the bench next to me. Your sandals too, and your trousers and y-fronts if you're 'adventurous.' Otherwise, pull them down past your knees so we don't get anything on them."

I removed each of his sandals one at a time, caressing each foot as I did so. He allowed gravity to remove his trousers. His y-fronts hung up on his heels. I removed them, rubbing and caressing his ankles and feet. I sat his clothing on the bench next to him.

I was more adventurous than he expected. I stripped completely, and set my clothes on the bench next to Harry's.

He drew his wand and shot the lubricating spell on the soles of his feet. He said, "Ginny and I figured the spell out last night. I've got some 'jelly' with me if we get that far this morning, but the spell is easier to vanish, and I don't want to leave 'tracks.' Kneel where we can reach other."

I did, and took him in my mouth as I gazed up into his eyes. He took me between his feet and worked on me as I gazed up at him. While I used my lips, tongue, and throat, he used his feet and toes almost like a second larger pair of hands. He carded my hair and massaged my scalp affectionately as I worked my way down and back. We traded vision and sensation several times, as we went, sharing everything. We lasted almost five minutes. He kept most of "me" on his feet and ankles, which I licked clean after swallowing all of "him." I stood, we kissed, and we traded places.

With Harry coaching me through the bond, I was able to do almost as good a job with my feet as he did. What he did for me with his mouth and throat was unbelievable. We lasted six minutes, because we both enjoyed the sensations we were giving each other as much as we would the climax, which left the both of us light-headed.

We quickly dressed each other, straightened our clothes, and made sure to banish any "messes." We were walking back toward the exit as our host caught back up with us with the rest of our group.

Neville continued to show us around the greenhouses and grounds. They were both fairly substantial in size. The land the Burrow sits on is good sized for being a rural non-farm plot of land in Devon. The grounds of Longbottom Hall were easily eight times the size if not larger, and were barely outside the outer ring of London.

Neville explained, "One of the things that they did when the Ministry was established was to remove most if not all Muggle taxation from wizarding lands and properties. This paid off through the end of the nineteenth century on, when the Muggle government started taking their grand sweeping turn to the left. Between land taxes and inheritance taxes, many Muggle estates of similar size were broken up to pay the taxes. With the Muggles not having magic to maintain and strengthen their manor houses, the Muggle aristocrats found them much more costly to maintain, once they were paying taxes instead of _collecting_ them.

"But that doesn't sound _fair,_ " Hermione said.

Neville replied, "It's less unfair than you would think, Hermione.

"We _do_ pay taxes to the Ministry. The Ministry in turn pays some money to the Muggle government. We also don't receive or _need_ all the social services the Muggles do, taking care of ourselves. We run our own schools, social services, and law enforcement, seldom if ever troubling the Muggle side of the government. When we buy Muggle goods, and the occasional services, we pay the same sales and VAT taxes the Muggles do, so it more or less evens out."

We gradually split up again. This time, Harry and I ended up alone in a copse of trees and bushes near the wall surrounding the estate. There was a decently sized bench next to the wall. The ground around the bench was mulched with pine straw, and a pillow of all things was at one end of the bench.

Harry hugged and kissed me. As I melted into his embrace, he spoke in my mind. _"It was just us getting lucky when we 'got lucky' in the greenhouse. Neville is helping us, helping_ me, _this time._

" _I need us to make love, Old Man. I need to know, I need to_ feel _that I am and will always be your 'Brat,' and that you are and will always be my 'Old Man.' His Dad and Mum have brought out_ two _of their 'Bishops' to interview the six of us mid-afternoon today. While we both know that society frowns upon our sharing bodies, I_ need _to know that you will never leave me, however short our time may be. If my Sword must end me in some future day, at least I'll not suffer, and die happily for my cause._

" _I know about the scar…"_

"Stop, Brat," I said aloud. "I will say this with my voice, since the only ones I do not wish to here it are Riddle and his sycophants. First, Brat, what day is it?"

"September 14th. But…"

"When did we first meet each other, Brat?"

"September 1st. But…"

"We'll not have known each other for two weeks until late morning tomorrow. In that time, you've repeatedly had the rug pulled out from under you. You went from a virgin child, to a male lover, to a married man with at least one child on the way. You went from believing yourself somewhat well off, to discovering that you are one of the richest people in the UK. This is only one _month_ after discovering that you were actually the beloved son of two magicals who was orphaned by a magical terrorist instead of the son of two wastrel drunks living on the dole. In those two weeks, you also lost all those who were the only family you knew to those same magical terrorists, destroyed an artefact of some of the most evil magic ever cast, and became the magical version of James Bond.

"Please tell me, Brat, _when_ was I supposed to explain about your scar, with all the other turmoil in your life that was threatening to drown you?"

After a moment's silence, he answered, "I don't know."

"The reason you don't know, Brat, is because there _was_ no 'right' time."

I next asked him, "When you discovered what I know about your scar, did you discover how and when I planned to kill you?"

He answered, "No."

I continued, "The reason you didn't discover that is because _it doesn't exist._ As far as I can influence things, you will outlive _me,_ and we'll _both_ die of old age!

"Your scar is _not_ a true Horcrux. While it _may_ prevent Riddle's passing to his final reward, that hasn't been tested, certainly not in the two lifetimes I've lived. In my first lifetime, the removal of the soul shard was a fluke that time's Dumbledore had more hoped than believed would work, though he was confident enough of it from the very moment he learned how that Riddle had fully returned to the world of the living.

"I have no clue how 'Harriet' removed the shard from her scar. I only know that she had managed to do so. Either way, Brat, we will remove the shard from your scar, or we _won't_ , and either way, Riddle will no longer trouble this world.

"There is a prophecy about you. If you found it, you know that _you_ will need to be the one to _vanquish_ him. But you _do not_ have to do so without help. And vanquish does _not_ mean to _murder,_ and doesn't even require you to kill him, or that he must even die, at least not any time soon.

"Did you know that if you amputate both hands and both feet of a wizard or witch, and cauterize the stumps, that they have _very_ hard time casting any magic? If you have no supporters to break you out of prison, or resurrect you to _another_ body, you also have trouble in terrorizing the masses. If we have no other alternative, Riddle will experience this personally, and much to his cost.

"If we can not remove Riddle entirely to the after-world, we will still kill all of his supporters who piss against a rock or shelter beneath one. Nurmengard will gain another resident. We will amputate him as I described, and have magic suppressing runes burned into his flesh, yet he will also be maintained in full health otherwise, so that he may neither regain use of his magic nor end his life to become a wraith once more.

"After the both of us die of old age, which won't be in this century or the next, your body will be cremated. Your ashes will be placed in an urn, and that urn will be placed on the chest of my body so that our earthly remains will be together in death, as we were in life.

"Only then will Riddle be cast through the Veil to his final reward. By that time, I venture, he will actually _consider_ it a reward. We don't dare do it sooner in case he might be able to fully occupy your scar, and force _your_ soul out of your body and take its place. We know almost nothing about the splitting of souls and the like. Those who were evil enough to perform the deeds and do the foul research didn't always keep the best of notes, though sadly, what notes they _did_ leave were too good by half.

"The Egyptian Pharaohs were some of the first to use Horcruxes. They were also some of the first to discover that there truly _were_ some fates worse than death. The Egyptian High Priests created the funerary rites their civilization is famous for just as much to frustrate their Pharaohs dreams of earthly immortality as to present the appearance of immortality in the after-world. Damned near _every_ Pharaoh had at least one Horcrux if not _two_ prepared. Yet, how many Pharaohs contend for the Egyptian Throne today?"

Finding his voice, he quietly answered, "None. Egypt is a cross between a dictatorship and a republic. The deposed King of Egypt was born in 1952. He does not style himself 'Pharaoh,' and lives in Paris."

"Exactly, Brat. Horcruxes _can_ be defeated in more than one way, just as those who create them can be.

"Many of those of a 'religious' bent will criticize our relationship. Our having sex with and making love with each other is certainly wrong in the eyes of some even if the rest of our relationship is not. But I withhold nothing from you, not even the use of my body. Not now, and not ever. I ask nothing in return, but gratefully accept in return your love, affection, and body as you give them.

"Please never doubt my love for you, or my devotion to your life and happiness. Even without our bond, I meant every word I said to you on the Hogwarts Express. I meant them then, I mean them now, and I will mean them _always_ and for all time _._ Neither Riddle, nor other Dark Wizards and Witches, nor time itself, nor all the Bishops in Christendom will change this.

"I am _yours,_ now and forever, however you would have me."

We had yet to release our original embrace. I could feel the bone-deep _relief_ and _joy_ rapidly suffuse through him. My trunk appeared at the edge of the small clearing. A double-width shower stall also appeared.

Harry said, "Other than our sandals, holsters and wands, the clothes we have on won't last much longer. If we banished our credentials and notebooks, Croaker would have our heads on spikes.

"We'll clean up out here, too. The shower-booth thing is actually something Frank and Alice came up with right after they were married. Neville had his house-elves put this bench here this morning. If we find one anywhere else out of the way like this one, we shouldn't linger. It would be kinda like hanging out in Mum and Dad's bedroom.

"If we make Longbottom Hall for lunch, we won't be turned away. But we aren't quite expected, either."

Following his lead, I put my credentials with his in the tray in the first compartment, and re-closed the lid.

Harry said, "You have removed and banished a dark pall from my heart yet again, my lover. I would ask you now to remove and banish my outer shirt."

Purely by coincidence, we had both dressed in shirts and trousers that had originally been Dudley's. I was glad, because I _liked_ the shirt I'd worn on the Hogwarts Express, whether I was wearing it, or he was. I removed and banished the shirt.

I answered, "You have also removed and banished a dark pall from my heart, my lover. I hadn't figured out yet when or how to tell you what I know of your scar. Please remove and banish my outer shirt as you did that pall.

He removed my outer shirt. He banished it with his wand, and quickly reholstered it.

He said, "You have shown me the true and wondrous depths of your heart, even as you gazed into my own. Please remove my undershirt, that you may see the chest my heart beats beneath."

I removed his glasses, and put one of the arms in my mouth to hold them. I removed and banished his undershirt.

As I placed his glasses back gently on his face, I replied, "I would ask the same, my lover. I have placed your glasses on your face again that you would see my chest clearly."

He removed my undershirt, and banished it.

He said, "I still have more fences around my heart then a boy my age should have, from the time spent with my relatives. You have banished at least one more of those fences, pulling it to the ground and removing it completely. I would ask you to do the same with my trousers, lover mine.

I undid his trousers, and pulled them down to his ankles. As I did, I noticed that they were "high-water" trousers. In my first childhood, one of the many things I resented, once I got old enough to notice such things, was that my robes and trouser legs never quite seemed to be long enough. But since the First of September _this_ time around, I actually _enjoyed_ them. After how sexy Harry's ankles looked, the way _mine_ looked to _him_ was a total and amazing turn-on.

I told him, "You have done this for me as well. Before you take down and banish my trousers, please squat down and look at my ankles. In my other childhoods, I was ashamed when my trouser legs and robes were too short, because I was ashamed that my family didn't have a lot of money, and oft-times had to make-do. Knowing you has fully opened my eyes to the fact that true beauty is wealth into and unto itself. After the sight of _your_ ankles, my next favourite sight is _my_ ankles as seen through your eyes."

While he shared my vision, he looked at my trouser cuffs. They were "high-water" on him. With my longer legs, they were even more so. He ghosted the tips of his fingers over my ankles before reaching up, undoing my trousers, and lowering them. The cuffs barely started to lower before he quit bunching the trousers down and banished them wandlessly and completely. I stood, and we kissed and embraced.

He said, "I wish to show you with my body how much I love you. I would ask you to take my y-fronts down, as you will take my body again as your own."

I pulled them down to his feet, and banished them. I kissed him on the 'head' on the way up, and kissed his mouth once we both stood.

I asked him, "As you with to demonstrate your love, I wish to demonstrate mine just as much. Please take _my_ y-fronts down, that you may take _my_ body in turn.

He squatted down and did so. He ghosted the tips of his fingers across my toes, along my ankles, and up my legs as he stood, returning my kiss as he passed. We kissed each other's mouths again and embraced, wearing only our sandals, holsters, and wristwatches.

He said, "We step together from one section of our path together and onto another. I ask you to join me in stepping out of our sandals. Your right leg first."

He was just able to catch the front edge of my right sandal with the toe of his left. I slid my foot out, and caught the top of his left sandal with my toes. We did the opposite on the left side and shifted to my right. Our sandals were facing and touching each other.

He said, "I will kneel before you and have you remove my holster, watch, and glasses. I will place myself into your hands as I arrived in this world, naked and helpless."

I answered, "I would rather we both kneel and you keep your glasses on. I would have you see clearly, and I can be no greater than your equal. I would have you remove _my_ holsters to prove my trust in you."

We kneeled together, and removed each other's holsters and watches, setting them on our sandals. Save his glasses, we were now completely nude. The pillow moved to the centre of the clearing, along with the tube of 'jelly,' and there was now a sheet on the ground where we would be in mere moments.

Harry said, "Given the choice, I prefer pine straw to concrete, so long as it doesn't find its way into places it shouldn't be. Age before beauty?"

"Yeah," I whispered back as we walked on our knees to the sheet.

He said, "Please lick me for a moment, and put your tongue in me. Take me into your mouth, but just once, and kiss me while you lube us up. Then, take me slowly and gently. Let us build and take time together."

I did this, and I entered him while we kissed deeply. I broke the kiss and let him gasp while I slowly bottomed out.

"I think you grew a centimetre or two," he gasped as I was fully inside of him.

"I wouldn't know," I answered. We started kissing again as I started to thrust.

I broke our kiss while I continued thrusting. He said, "Look through my eyes. My third toe on each foot twitches a little more with each thrust. With you, it's your second."

I watched this through his eyes as we both giggled. He switched his gaze to my eyes, and we were both lost in a kaleidoscope of cornflower-blue, pure-green, and all the colours of erotic and romantic bliss and ecstasy. We didn't speak a word again, letting our bodies speak where the words just weren't there.

We finally climaxed together about a half-hour later. He came so hard that I thought he would remove it from my body with how hard he clenched, before it slackened again. He also got his neck, face, and hair, along with getting some on my chest. We were both at least momentarily spent. He did not close up as I pulled out. I licked up what I could reach with my tongue on his neck, chin, and face. I leaned back so he could lick my chest. He had a flannel that he used to wipe off the rest.

I lay upon him in the afterglow. I kept most of my weight off of him with my arms, while we made body contact from our bits to our sternums.

Once he regained more of his breath, he said, "It's a good thing we have that shower thing out here with us. You'll get some of 'me' in your hair from the pillow when we change places, and you might get just as much of 'you' in your hair when we climax again. Switch up?"

We switched places. I grabbed the outsides of my feet and drew them towards my head as he licked, kissed, and tongued me. He moved up to the front, and took me into his mouth all the way to the base, using his tongue and lips as he pulled back off. He fingered some 'jelly' into me, and put some on him. It was my turn to gasp in mid-kiss as he slowly entered me.

"Have I gained a centimetre or two as well?" he asked as a few tears gathered in my eyes.

"You were always bigger than me," I gasped in answer. "We're both larger than average for _adults._ Start thrusting _slowly_ so I finish loosening up."

He did, and he said, "I guess that's why I haven't 'closed up' yet. Hopefully we don't surprise each other like we did the other day. I had a 'sit-down' after breakfast, just before we left."

"So did I. Look through my eyes. You were right about our toes. My second toe _does_ twitch more."

He looked at my feet, and shuddered in appreciation as he sped up. We gazed into each other's eyes, and again entered the kaleidoscope world. When we climaxed about half an hour later, it was just as Harry thought. He practically collapsed on me after he pulled out, leave me just as wiped out and open as I had him.

As he licked my face clean, he asked in my mind, _"Were you trying to pull me out by the root, Old Man?"_

I answered aloud, "Not really. _You_ clinched up every bit as hard."

"Yeah, and I still can't close up yet, either. What time is it?"

I cast a wandless _Tempus,_ and got _12:15 post_ for an answer.

I answered, "12:15. If we can have whatever house-elf serve us something out here after we've showered and shampooed, we can be back to do whatever talking with whomever before we meet the Bishops."

Harry and I heard "TREVOR!" off in the distance. Harry giggled for a moment, closed his eyes, and then blushed almost purple.

"Hermione is so _mean,_ sometimes!" he exclaimed.

As we continued walking to the shower, I asked, "Why do you say that _now_ , and why did you just blush?"

While we entered the shower and turned on the water, he replied, "Hermione and I have a 'sibling bond,' as do Neville and I now. If you have one, it usually start shortly after you're born, and start fading before you enter puberty, ending completely before you actually start dating. Since Hermione's and my bond was started so late, and since Neville's and my bond was dormant for so long, they may _never_ fade. Since I'm magically "closer" to Frank and Alice's bond magic from being Alice's godson, I'm starting to pick some of these things from instinct, just like Neville has _his_ instincts to back up his reading. Since I magically adopted Hermione somehow, she's starting to pick up these things as well.

"If Hermione comes up the bond when I don't want her there, I send her an image of Neville from the clearing when I was on top and he was on his back. If _I_ do the same, she sends me an image of _herself_ as Neville saw her doing the exact same thing. Ginny has already _told_ me that if _either_ of you sees the other that way, she'll kill me, and maybe you too."

As we washed and shampooed, I replied, "Yeah, please _don't._ While I like our stripping games, I try to _not_ see Ginny as much as possible, and I hope she does the same. It's the difference between us being starkers together, and seeing _that_ look on a sibling's face full-on, you know?"

He shuddered beneath my fingertips, and _not_ because I was shampooing his hair.

§§§

One-fifteen in the afternoon saw the six of us back at Longbottom hall in the dining room. Harry and I were wearing khaki dress trousers and polo shirts, but still wearing our sandals rather than trainers or dress shoes. Neville was wearing shoes, along with a shirt and tie with his khakis. The girls were all wearing sundresses that fell below the knee and nicer sandals. We were eating a fairly substantial lunch. We boys had white wine and water to go with the meal, and the girls had the Brazilian Limeade.

Luna asked, "Are the two of you feeling better, Ron?"

"Much better thanks, both of us are," I answered.

"'Bout time, Ron!" Ginny exclaimed. "And if these Bishops talk you and Harry into 'breaking up' somehow, you had _better_ give me the keys before you ditch him! I tried _all night,_ and I couldn't _reach him…"_

Harry instantly had her in his lap, and was comforting her with some success.

I asked him, "Harry? What two words have I asked you _never_ to say to me?"

He answered uncertainly, "I'm fine?"

I continued, "And _why_ did I ask you to never speak them?"

"Because you said that it was 'Harry-speak' for 'I'm in agony but either don't trust you to help or don't think you're strong enough to even hold my hand?'"

I replied, "Ginny is even 'craftier' than I am.

"I know you couldn't admit what you were thinking to her. I could _feel_ how much it cost you to admit to me, even believing that I might kill you because of your scar."

I replied to the sharp gasps, "Scar's a pseudo-Horcrux. It's handled. Harry will ring in the twenty-second century as a fully living and happy old man with 'the creepy nameless fake lord' defeated one way or another."

Turning back to Harry, I said, "You _do_ owe her an apology for doubting her. She owes you a smaller one for getting jealous of the two of us and for expecting you to break ten years worth of habits that only became bad ones two weeks ago."

Ginny sniffed and said, "Harry? 'I'm fine' is the same as Ron's 'fucked-face,' _got it?_ "

He held her tighter, as they conversed silently for a moment.

Replying to the shocked silence of the room, she said, "So? _All six_ of us in this room have that face, even if Neville has only made it a couple of times, and won't again. And don't act so shocked, Hermione. When he isn't _keeping secrets,_ we float about in each other's heads almost as often as we do our own. The two of you with those faces are almost as bad as the Twins are with Percy. Though yours _is_ prettier than Luna's and mine."

" _Yours_ is tied for the prettiest of all, Gin. Still haven't figured out how _I_ keep putting it there." Harry replied.

"No sharing! JINX!" Ginny and I said in unison, breaking the mood.

Harry's plate and wine glass "moved" to Ginny's place, and they fed each other for the rest of the meal.

§§§

Two o'clock saw the lunch dishes cleared. We boys switched over to the Brazilian Limeade, since we each had two glasses of wine with lunch, and didn't care for the idea of being _drunk_ eleven-year-olds meeting the Bishops on top of being _married_ and engaged in conduct outside the scope of what the Church deemed fitting even for between spouses.

I felt the presence build slowly. Though I thought I recognized it, I _have_ been wrong before. I stood between the presences and the rest of our group with both hands raised to cast. All the rest drew and raised their wands as they left their seats.

The two Bishops cancelled their charms completely with their hands raised. Recognizing them for truly being who they were, and that their minds were entirely their own, I lowered my hands and told the rest, "Holster your wands. These are the two Bishops we were told we would meet. You can't fake their spiritual presence with Polyjuice, and they are not under any compulsions."

To confirm my statement, I genuflected before each man and kissed their rings in turn, greeting, "Good afternoon, and may the Lord be with you, Your Excellency."

Neville, Hermione, and amazingly enough Harry followed my example.

The two prelates introduced themselves in turn.

The first was a clean-shaven tall man of medium build, standing about six feet and two inches tall, and weighing about 210 pounds. His short brown hair had yet to fade. He said, "I am Archbishop Luke Mayhew. I am the Archbishop of Southwark. This includes both London south of the Thames and Kent. I was also the parish priest who baptized Neville and Harry on the 11th of August in 1980.

The second prelate had a resemblance to Friar Tuck, minus the Friar's tonsure. He introduced himself, saying, "I am Bishop Angus Porter, Bishop of Aberdeen. My diocese includes the land upon which Hogwarts stands.

Archbishop Mayhew spoke again. "First off, with one or two obvious exceptions, everything we say here is protected by the Seal of the Confessional, so don't worry about anything we've heard here being spoken of by us to _anyone,_ ever.

"Second, I have Arthur and Molly Weasley's permission and Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood's permission to speak to you and offer you the opportunity to join or rejoin the Church as appropriate, should you choose to do so of your own free will. This is _not_ a one-time-only offer, and be sure that you really and truly mean it if you accept.

"Third, we are both Hufflepuff Alumni, and have some understanding of Soul Bonds.

"Bishop Porter has joined me because Hogwarts may very well gain an Official Chaplain and Chapel this year, for the first time in history. Friar Tuck will be officially appointed Chaplain for one day in recognition of his centuries of service, including some rather trying centuries when the Church was persecuted in England and Scotland. He will become 'Chaplain Emeritus,' and help the new Chaplain to the extent and degree he is able, until God and he agree that his time is completed. When he leaves, whenever he leaves, it will be God's will and his alone, not the Church driving him off."

Hermione asked, "But aren't the Hogwarts ghosts merely spells cast in terror by wizards who were afraid to die?"

Archbishop Mayhew answered, "Sadly child, no. Friar Tuck did not reject death. But, his remorse and repentance in not evangelizing the Faith to his fellow wizards and witches was so profound that God has allowed him to remain. The rest of the ghosts at Hogwarts rejected death in a more deliberate manner, but the end result is the same. Those _are_ the souls of the people they were in life, awaiting the end of the world, or some other happenstance to finally send them 'on.'

"Back to the six of you, Frank and Alice told me of your circumstances. They gave permission for me to talk to the six of you about this. I know that Ron Weasley is on his third lifetime. I know that Neville and Hermione, Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Luna are three validly married couples. I also know that Harry and Ron are also bound in a type of bond the Church has little to say about. Bishop Porter and I have studied the encyclicals and other writings, and have meditated and prayed for guidance.

"Ron, Harry, your relationship as a whole is not sinful or illicit, and was not of your creation. The portion, and _only_ the portion of that relationship that drives you to engage in carnal knowledge _is_ sinful, but only to the degree that you are able to control or guide it. While abstinence from any sexual congress between the two of you is and should be your ultimate goal, you will fail, and fail repeatedly in achieving that goal right away, if you achieve it for any length of time before becoming physically incapable of performing the acts.

"At the same time, though your physical congress _is_ sinful, it isn't _quite_ adultery. Since both of your wives knew of and accepted your bond to each other even before they received theirs and since there is some involuntary component to your acts however slight, it doesn't quite raise to that level.

"In short, there is no reason for us to bar you from entering or re-entering the Church as the case may be, for any of you. And while we will give every encouragement possible to Harry and you to convert your bond to one that does not force illicit physical congress, Ron, we will _not_ try to sunder that bond. The mere _thought_ of that sundering has Harry terrified. Provided your comfort is appropriate to perform in front of two Bishops, I would encourage you to comfort him. Only the _lust_ in your bond is sinful."

Harry was instantly sideways and almost foetal in my lap, shivering and cycling rapidly between terror and hope. While his sandals remained on the other side of the room, he was otherwise fully dressed. I held him tightly and carded his hair while Archbishop Mayhew continued to talk.

"Separating a person from sin is somewhat like separating a person from an asp. An asp is a fairly small, very vicious, very fast, and very _deadly_ snake. We easily see the asps carried by others, yet fail to see our own. Also, every asp is different, just as every person is different. What separates one person from their asp safely may well see another bitten and another still bitten _fatally._

"What makes things even more complicated is that to each of us, we don't even see the asp as an asp! To us, our _own_ asps are shiny, friendly, perhaps even cuddly, even if our neighbour earns our scorn for carrying the _exact identical asp!_

"So, as evangelists of our Faith and the Church, we must all be snake charmers to one degree or another. The Church is _Catholic_ in fact as well as in name, and is unchanging, as God is unchanging. Our understanding of the eternal and unchanging Church grows with time, and our expression of unchanging truths _does_ change with the times, without attempting to deny, change or obscure any of the unchanging truths.

"The goal of the Church, as Christ Himself bid us do, is _not_ to see that each person receives what they 'deserve.' By our own merits alone, we deserve only _death._

"Christ died on the cross _in our place,_ so that all who truly repent may receive eternal life, which _none_ of us 'deserve.' We are sent to dispense _mercy_ to all those with humble and contrite hearts. Those with humble and contrite hearts will turn away from sin, which is that which offends God; some more quickly than others."

He then started addressing each of us in turn.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, I am told you were confirmed in the Church in your first lifetime. Is this true?"

I answered, "Yes, Your Excellency. It is true."

He asked, "Have you ever born false witness against the Church?"

I answered, "I don't believe that I have, at least not knowingly. If I have done so, it would only be in this lifetime, to the people in this room, and only out of ignorance and not malice."

He asked, "Do you still believe your baptismal and confirmatory vows?"

I answered, "I do believe them. My faith is restored."

He said, "I will have you pray the Act of Contrition when we pause this meeting, and recite the Lord's Prayer one time, asking God to re-enter your life. You will be too concerned with your wife and with Harry to do more."

He turned next to Hermione. "Your fellows are under the Seal of the Confessional as are we prelates, and as are _you;_ though I doubt you would break it. Please follow the ordinary form."

She replied, "Forgive me Your Excellency, for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last confession. In that time, I looked at pornography once, have masturbated four times, and committed numerous acts of sexual gratification with my husband beyond the norms for married life, including doing so in the presence of others. I am aware of no other mortal sins, repent of all my sins, and ask the Lord's forgiveness."

The Archbishop replied, "You have made a good and honest confession. For your penance, I will have you pray the Lord's Prayer one time, the Hail Mary three times, and the Glory Be one time, seeking the Blessed Virgin's intercession to leading a more chaste and proper life. You will pray your Act of Contrition with Ron when we pause this meeting."

He turned to Neville. He said, "Neville, this is your first Sacrament of Reconciliation and later today will be your first Holy Communion if you are so disposed. Have you heard of the Real Presence?"

Neville answered, "Yes, Your Excellency. You may or may not know, but a Soul Bond allows the easy and rapid sharing of academic knowledge. Does each of you have communion wafers on your person, in your breast pockets?"

The Archbishop answered, "We both do. Do you sense them?"

All six of us nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."

He asked, "Neville, do you wish to take Holy Communion this evening?

He answered, "I do, Your Excellency."

The Archbishop said, "Please offer your first confession. You need only go back the last two weeks or so."

Neville offered his confession, which also included his 'encounter' with Harry and me in Hermione's Clearing.

The Archbishop said, "You have made a good and honest confession. Your penance will be the same as your wife's. I would encourage you to encourage others to lead better and more proper lives in the eyes of God."

Harry had composed himself by this time. He asked, "Is there hope, even for me, Your Excellency?"

The Archbishop replied, "Your asking this tells me that there is all the hope in the world for you, my child. While they did not share the details to an embarrassing degree, I have talked with your new parents. They have told me that you lived a life before entering theirs that was not even remotely pleasant. But you are a child of God, as are we all. You have not, insofar as I can tell rejected God. So yes, there is hope."

Harry said, "Your Excellency, in addition to the four bonds you know about there are two others, though they don't directly involve sex. I have full sibling bonds with Hermione as my sister and Neville as my brother. All the bonds combined have us all sleep naked in bed together most nights, though we only make any physical contact beyond the most chaste with our sexual bond-mates. Hermione and Neville only touch each other. Ginny only touches me, but _never_ her brother directly; Ron and I touch each other and our own wives but _never_ each other's, and Luna only touches Ron. I don't think our bonds would allow it now even if we wanted to.

"The bonds also provide extra 'pressure' or at least 'temptation' to engaging in sex acts in each other's presence more or less at the same time, though we might do away with that more easily, at least between Neville and Hermione and the other four of us. With the four of us, our bonds are interconnected to the point that we are driven to please both the licit spouse and the other person we are directly bonded to. So, Ginny and Luna don't do anything with each other, but they are both usually there when Ron and I do stuff, and Ron and I do stuff with them at the same time. Ron and Ginny tune each other out, though Ginny will sometimes hold my hand during a particular type of act while ignoring that it's Ron doing it to me because she enjoys the sensation."

The Archbishop replied, "The six of you together, with your consciences, must be your guide. If your need for any particular comfort is truly a _need_ and not merely a _desire,_ there is no sin. If it is _only_ a desire, and it otherwise tempts you to sin, you should avoid it, and failing that confess it at the Sacrament of Reconciliation. So long as you genuinely repent, God will forgive you.

All of us have fallen short of the glory of God, and only the Blessed Virgin and Christ Himself have passed through this world without the taint of sin. Even the saints, who intercede for us in heaven, were once ordinary people, who all sinned during their lives."

Harry gazed at them intently, as if weighing their souls in the balance. After about one minute of silence, he prostrated himself on the floor facing between the two prelates. He recited his baptismal vows, the Nicene Creed, the Confiteor Deo, and what was likely his first confession, in a far greater degree than the other three of us had, and the Act of Contrition. He said all of that in perfect _Liturgical Latin._

It took the two prelates a minute or two after Harry finished to figure out what Harry said, and that he actually _meant_ every word.

They assigned him the same penance as they did me, and absolved him in Latin as well. He replied by reciting the Lord's Prayer, once again in Latin, and then stood up and sat back sideways in my lap, wrapping my arms about him.

Archbishop Mayhew said, "Harry will be confirmed during the Mass this evening."

Turning to Luna and Ginny, he asked, "Do either of you have any questions? Neither of you were baptized by any Christian faith or sect that I am aware of."

Luna asked, "Your Excellency, would it be possible for Ginny and me to be baptized and receive our first Holy Communion this evening. We both have the same understanding of the Faith as Neville does. My husband is already confirmed, and Ginny's will be confirmed tonight. We could take the same test as Neville does and at the same time. We were led to believe part of your purpose in visiting was to decide if and how quickly Neville would be confirmed, so he and Hermione could have a full wedding Mass instead of just a service.

Ginny and I both understand the difference between the two ceremonies. We understand that both are still in and of themselves Sacraments of the Church. We also understand that we will be expected to help raise our children in the Church even if we were not to convert, which would really be impossible, since we ourselves sense the Real Presence, and that truth points unalterably to all the others."

The Archbishop asked, "Ginny, what do you have to say for yourself?"

She answered, "I ask the same thing as Luna. Beyond Luna's reasons, I also ask for Harry's sake. Because of his harsh upbringing, he has difficulties with fearing the loss or separation of loved ones. The reality of a Soul Bond is far more encompassing than the ordinary marriage vows of the Church. I believe that I must walk beside my husband in the practice of our Faith, as much as I am able. I must be able to give my help when he stumbles, and accept his help when I do."

The Archbishop thought for a minute, before replying. "Normally, the process for someone to join the Church takes up to one year, and is timed to be completed on the Easter Sunday following the start of their classes. We do this to ensure that you understand enough about the Faith that you will continue to grow and proper spiritually in the Faith, and because it is _NOT_ something to be entered into casually or insincerely. Out of the six of you, two are already confirmed, and the third will be confirmed tonight. The fourth of you will receive their First Communion later today, and should be confirmed by the middle of next month since I see no spiritual harm befalling Neville by granting him this indulgence at his parents' behest.

"I am convinced that the last two of you are sincere, honest, and truly believe and accept the Faith. I will baptize you immediately before the Mass, and you may receive Holy Communion at the Mass this evening. You will receive the same classes as Neville, and receive the same tests and Examination. If all three of you are ready, I will confirm all three of you at the same time and at the same mass.

"Baptism is one-time only, and absolves you of _all_ sins you've committed prior to being baptized, so I will not need to hear your confessions. You will need your husbands and friend to help you memorize your prayers and gain in understanding of the Faith to fully join the Church."

Turning his attention to all of us, he said, "For those of you who confessed in _English,_ I will have you pray the Act of Contrition and I will give all of you General Absolution. We will leave the room for a few minutes to allow you to pray your penance and reflect. Then we will join you, if we may, for a glass or two of the wine you were enjoying. Bishop Porter and I will concelebrate the Vigil Mass for tomorrow in the Chapel Room after baptizing Luna and Ginny. We will start at 6:00 pm, and it isn't quite half-four. We will confirm Harry after the Homily. Now please pray your Act of Contrition."

§§§

Fifteen minutes later saw two much more relaxed prelates and six much more relaxed pre-teens enjoying a glass of wine together. The girls, by acclimation, decided that one glass of wine _only_ wouldn't cause any harm. While we boys weren't quite as temperate, we weren't trying to get pissed either. The two prelates, both being rather large adults, drank a little more, while not drinking noticeably or to excess.

Bishop Porter said, "We've Floo'ed the Weasleys and Lovegoods. All four will attend the Mass here."

We were all pleased to learn this.

He continued, "I also owe the six of you some thanks for hearing us out. Whether or not any of you had gone as far as you actually have, I am now able to have a wizard Priest as Chaplain.

Friar Tuck had been trying ever since he first started haunting Hogwarts to have a living wizard Priest appointed. For many years, people who accepted the Faith gave up their magic, and more sadly, people who practiced their magic all too often gave up the Faith.

"Friar Tuck's ministry has kept the Faith from completely dying in the wizarding community even when it was driven underground by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

"Over the centuries, as the Faith was no longer equated with Treason, the numbers of Hogwarts educated wizarding Priests grew.

"Finally this year, we were able to make the breakthrough. With the announcement of your 'public' Soul Bonds, we were able to suggest in the press that the _real_ 'Boy Who Lived,' the _real_ 'Hand-Cast Ronnie,' their best friend, and their wives would be obliged to Portkey away from school every weekend plus several mid-week days throughout the school year, because Hogwarts refused to open a Chapel or allow for a Chaplain, even if it were at no cost to the school.

"We also typically have one or two students per year discerning to enter the seminary and become priests. We have two as of right now. We owled both of them to pass on the message to Friar Tuck that he would be officially appointed Chaplain for at least one day, and would be officially be appointed as "Chaplain Emeritus" after the living priest actually took over, and would be encouraged to remain until God and he decided that his ministry was over.

"The biggest confusion in the general wizarding population was that everyone thought that Friar Tuck already _was_ the chaplain! Everyone in Hufflepuff, and more than a few in the other three houses had attended at least _one_ of his weekly prayer services, or heard him talk about his life in the Church beyond the Baron of Loxley and all that mess. The very reason we even _have_ wizard priests in the first place is because of Friar Tuck encouraging young men with the inclination to at least _discern_ whether they would be willing to serve God and tend to the Faithful.

"Headmaster Dumbledore and Lady Augusta Longbottom called for an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors Tuesday Afternoon. Somehow, Lucius Malfoy and Josiah Nott failed to learn of the meeting in a timely manner, and both appointments were approved, with the caveat that the Diocese of Aberdeen provide all sacred furnishings and sacramentals such as communion wine and hosts for the Chapel, and that the wizarding priest actually be a wizard, preferably a Hogwarts Graduate. The school is even paying his salary, since he will be available as a counsellor to all whether or not they are practicing Catholics.

"We had been granted approval by the Holy See to allow Friar Tuck to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation on an "continuing emergency" basis back in 1840. We're trying to get their approval to allow him to hear confessions routinely to reduce the new Chaplain's workload. We won't know until next year, though."

Changing subjects, Bishop Porter said to me, "So, I understand you are an Apprentice Wand-Crafter and a Senior Battle Mage, Ron?"

Relieved we could "talk shop" on our level instead of the two friendly prelates', I answered, "Yes, Your Excellency. The 'Senior Battle Mage' part was a very recent promotion. I've only been with the DOM this time since March of 1990. If you were wondering about the holsters, Harry and Neville are on my team, and if you don't already know enough to not need to ask, I'm not allowed to tell you.

"I'm happier talking about my apprenticeship with Master Garrick. I started with him as my seventh birthday present. I'm now making wands for sale on the shop floor, and have been doing a lot of the reconditioning jobs that have come in to the shop. Harry has also started apprenticing with Master Garrick with me, and he has a lot of potential. Neville's wand was my ninth, Hermione's wand was my eleventh, Luna and Ginny both carry wands I reconditioned, and both of my wands were my work. My right wand is my seventh, and my left wand was a wand I reconditioned twice."

Bishop Porter said, "I talked for a while with your parents yesterday during the day. May I examine your 'left wand?'"

Not seeing anything wrong, I un-holstered my second wand and handed it to Bishop Mayhew, handle first. He barely touched it before he pointed it _straight up,_ and passed it to me with a shaking hand, and white as a sheet. Once I claimed and holstered it, he drank his freshly poured glass of wine in a single gulp, and took a generous sip out of the glass when the house-elf invisibly refilled it.

He said, "Do you know who carried that wand before you?"

I answered, "My grandfather. The wand is not _evil,_ but I accidentally blood-bound the wand to me the first time I reconditioned it. You appear to appreciate Septimus Weasley's battle record much more than I do. I don't know all the details, but you generally don't earn an Order of Merlin First Class and a Victoria Cross with no medical training to your name by casting cleaning charms, if you can feel that."

Bishop Porter said, "I was two years behind him in Hufflepuff. Your grandfather was not a Dark or Evil man. What he was if you crossed him was _pure mean._ Even without that, he was his own man, even as a third year. He used to ride the Thestrals on the weekends if he had nothing better to do. They also said that the only reason He Who Must Not Be Named feared only Dumbledore was because Septimus Weasley died of natural causes before they crossed wands."

Archbishop Mayhew asked me, "Were you ever an altar server?"

I answered, "No. Both of my kids were, and I ended up training all the altar servers in my parish since the pastor and the deacon both decided I was good at it."

He asked, "Can you serve at the Mass this evening?"

I replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."

He said, "Good. It's five minutes to five. Finish your glass and we'll look at Neville's Family Chapel and get you vested up."

I drained my wine glass, kissed Luna, hugged Harry, and left the room.

§§§

Later that night, Luna and I lied awake in bed. I asked her, "So, what did you think of the Mass?"

She thought, and answered, "It wasn't what I thought it would be, although I didn't know what I thought it would be. I never thought to read your memories of the Church in your first life.

"But what is 'Popery?" Did I miss any? And, what is so bad about it, anyway?"

I answered, "You have to understand Muggle History to 'get it.' The Protestant Reformation happened in Europe around the time of King Henry VIII of England. At first, he was all for the Catholics. His Chancellor was a Catholic Cardinal, a Cardinal being one of the most important Archbishops in the entire church, since they choose the Pope when the old one dies. He was originally supposed to become a priest instead of King, but his older brother died, and his father King Henry VII did as well just a few years later. As King, he wrote a religious treatise so favourable for the church that the Pope granted him the title of " _Fidei Defensor_ ," or "Defender of the Faith."

But Henry VIII got tired of his wife, who only bore him one child that survived infancy, and a daughter at that. Henry wanted an annulment. The Church refused to give him one, so he sacked the ENTIRE Church, and all of a sudden, the English _Protestants_ were in the driver's seat, witch burnings and all. All Kings and Queens of England, Britain, and the UK from then to the present day are the titular heads of the _protestant_ Church of England, and the British Monarch is now the "Defender of the (Protestant) Faith."

At one time, it was actually _Treason_ to be a Catholic in England or Scotland, and during part of that time, more than a few Catholics _did_ try to overthrow whatever Protestant Monarch was on the throne. Eventually the furore died down, after _many_ killings and violations of civil rights, and a couple hundred years after that, it became legal if not fashionable to be a Catholic in England once more.

"The whole 'suffer not a witch to live' thing made Protestantism basically a non-starter in the Magical World. So, if you wanted to be a _Christian Wizard or Witch,_ you ended up being a _Catholic._ That's why the Longbottoms and Peverell-Potters were so famously Catholic in the Wizarding World. They backed the 'right' Catholics at the 'right' time, and made sure that they didn't get _caught_ helping the 'wrong' ones.

"'Popery'" is anything religious the Catholics do that the English Protestants don't like. The government has changed its attitude, and the Church has changed its attitude as well. Most of the Muggles screaming 'Heathen' or 'Popery' are using those curses as 'code words' for something else entirely, and haven't been to _any_ church in their lives beyond infancy. Most 'Heathen Howlers' couldn't tell a Papal Bull from a Baloney Bull, and most 'Popery Screamers' couldn't tell _Sola Scriptura_ from _O Solo Mio._ "

Luna thought for a moment. She said, "I can understand why many wizards and witches would avoid Christianity then. Magical attitudes change more slowly. I didn't know how many Hufflepuffs were Catholics, though."

"Friar Tuck was always quick with kind yet insightful word, whether you were in Hufflepuff or not," I replied. "He was always more sociable than Sir Nicholas, 'The Grey Lady,' or 'The Bloody Baron.' He was also in his house common room a _lot_ more than the other three House Ghosts."

Luna asked, "How is Archbishop Mayhew going to do your Record of Sacraments?"

I answered, "I suppose just like Harry's except use today's date for my baptism as well. While my Sacraments from my first lifetime are valid, he can't use the original dates, because they are all in the future here, even if they're in _my_ past. If he tried to count backwards from today, he would have me baptized before Grandfather Septimus was born."

Luna asked, "How long do you think Harry will last until he tries something."

"You're trying to take the Mick, aren't you?" I asked.

She laughed softly, saying, "Yeah, you got me. How long though? You know that none of the rest of us have the heart to tell him 'no.'"

I replied, "It isn't 'just' him _or_ 'just' me, it's the both of us together. As for how soon, I'd say about thirty seconds unless Ginny wore him out."

He opened the door with Ginny right behind him. They were both wearing nightshirts and carrying pillows. He said, "Ginny hasn't 'wore me out.' But neither of us slept a wink last night, Old Man, and I can't pretend, especially while I'm pretending to be sad while we plant the Dursleys tomorrow. Fucking gits couldn't even _get murdered_ without taking another stripe outta my arse. Speaking of arse, if _you_ can't make it 'till tomorrow, roll me on my stomach and go slow so I sleep through it."

He pulled back the covers, and he and Ginny climbed into bed with us. Luna and I were wearing our favourite pyjamas, and had only 'cleaned up' from the 'procreative act' fifteen minutes prior. His only comment was a mumbled 'Cheaters.' as he gave me a quick hug and kiss before flopping face-down in the bed and passing out.

Ginny asked, "Where should I set his glasses?"

She was even quicker than I was when he dropped off that quickly.

I answered, "Your nightstand. You know he won't reach over Luna. Good night, Ginny."

After getting him back-on and spooning with her, she answered, "Good night, Ron, Luna."

I _Nox'ed_ the lights. Tomorrow would be a _long_ day.

§§§

Long didn't even begin to describe Sunday, the 15th of September. The day was cold, drizzly, grey, and miserable. We were awakened at 6:00, ate in our sleeping clothes (whether we slept in them or not) and bathrobes. We then got showered and dressed, and left Longbottom Hall at 7:00 for Little Whinging. Remus Lupin was acting as chauffer for the Longbottom's 'big' car, which was a Rolls-Royce Limousine from the late 1940s. The car was comfortable. Better yet, it also put up really well with being repeatedly made into a Portkey. The best part of driving through London is _not_ driving through London, and thanks to Remus, we did precisely that.

The Memorial Service in Little Whinging was set for 7:30 so that those more adventurous souls could actually _drive_ out to Dursley for the graveside service. Lord Peverell Potter would be expected to stop in for a cuppa at each of the "Funeral brunches." If we tinted his lenses and kept him asleep, he just might not "unload" on any of the neighbours.

We arrived at the Anglican Church in Little Whinging at a quarter past the hour. Remus was in perfect form. He smartly parked at the kerb and opened the rear door for our party. Frank, Alice, and we six bond-mates got out of the car and guided Lord and Lady Peverell-Potter into the church.

I'm describing Harry distantly because that morning he _was_ distant. Like the weather, he was cold, grey, and miserable. He kissed both Ginny and me good morning, but barely said a word otherwise. He had quite literally turned off the lights and hid somewhere.

The Anglican "Funeral Service within a celebration of Holy Communion" actually went off well. In his eulogy, the Vicar spoke well and decently about all three Dursleys of Little Whinging. The Vicar also preached well from the Gospel readings of the day. I sensed that the Dursleys staged at least part of Harry's discomfort.

On one of the very few particular Sunday Celebrations of Holy Communion Harry and the Dursleys attended, the subject of the Sermon was "suffer not a witch to live." Harry knew even then that the Dursleys meant that as an attack on him. Once he learned that his mother _was a witch_ and _was murdered,_ well, he thought even more poorly of the Vicar, whom he didn't particularly care for in the first place.

The new Managing Director from Grunnings was also present and spoke well. Whatever thoughts the man had about Vernon Dursley in life, he expressed only the best thoughts about the late Managing Director. Of course, too many innocent people would lose their jobs if the new Managing Director had bollixed the eulogy. So, even if the new man thought Vernon was the Antichrist, the new Managing Director would only praise him here.

After the service, we went to the local catering hall. There is where we almost had a spot of trouble. Rita Skeeter of all people had decided to attend the Brunch if she was not in fact at the service. She appeared to have also hired some Muggle and wizarding "ne'er-do-wells" to cause problems.

I sent a note to Croaker. "To Croaker: Rita Skeeter is at the Village Catering and Hall in Little Whinging, Surrey with at least four wizards and some Muggles to cause trouble at the FUNERAL BRUNCH for Brat's MURDERED RELATIVES. Request you remove them properly before they are removed INADVERTENTLY. #

What sounded like a series of car backfires could be heard from outside the Catering Hall. Harry's, Neville's, and my notebooks all went off. The reply was, "To Old Man, Brat, Neville: One removal team is en-route. Another available. Please advise situation?"

Rita and her bunch started working the crowd, talking Borstal and Parole. The uniformed Surrey Police Firearms Unit who ostentatiously removed her and all of hers less than one minute later on suspicion of aiding and abetting terrorism in the attack on a tour bus that ended the lives of sixty of Her Majesty's Subjects, including the subjects of the Funeral Brunch, impersonating a credentialed news reporter, and slandering a Peer of the Realm was pure Croaker, and just what the healer ordered.

Harry lightened up just enough to not be "out of place" at a Funeral Brunch. We had our tea, made our rounds, and were off again in plenty of time to make the 11:30. As we left, Harry and Neville sent their notes. "To all: Skies clearing. Thanks. Neville#" "To all: Trash removed. Thanks. Brat#" I added, "To all: The Surrey Police Firearms Unit should be commended for their prompt and efficient policing work. Thanks. Old Man#"

The second "Funeral Service within a celebration of Holy Communion" was just as long, but Harry wasn't nearly as tense as he was for the one in Little Whinging. The new Managing Director managed to beat traffic and gave his second eulogy of the morning, remembering to mention Marjorie Dursley's love of dogs. Her neighbour, Colonel Fubster also gave a good eulogy.

After the gravesite service was completed, Harry made sure he introduced himself and me to the Managing Director, thanking him both for his wonderful eulogies and for his continued service to the company. He also thanked Colonel Fubster for his kind words about Miss Dursley.

For _this_ luncheon, Harry was actually relaxed enough to eat as well as drink a "cuppa."

As we walked out to the car, Harry asked, "Remus? There's a McDonalds up the M4 about eight miles north of here or so. Could we stop there?"

Remus, Frank, and Alice were more than slightly confused. We were just _leaving_ a _Banquet Hall,_ where Harry had dumped over 1200 quid for food and drink! He'd eaten fish, chips, and a pint "off-menu" and "to be carried to his guardian" and he wanted to go to a _restaurant_?

Fortunately, they were rather quick on the uptake, and after my furious hand-sign to just "roll with it," they agreed. During the drive, he ditched the top half of the morning suit for a black turtleneck and a grey sport coat. Neville and I followed his example. The girls ditched the hats and veils, and everybody else stayed as-is.

We went in and tried to not be completely obvious that half of us had never been in a McDonalds in our lives. Harry walked up to the counter. He asked, "I would like a Big Mac made with Quarter-Pounder patties and buns as an extra large value meal, with a Coke to drink?"

I walked up next to him and said, "Can you make two of those, please?"

The counter help were glad to ring our orders up. Everyone else placed his or her orders. A few minutes later, we were all seated and eating.

Harry said, "I've been beyond out-of-sorts all day today, especially this morning. Still am, really. I'm sorry I've been, and thank you everyone for putting up with me."

We all reassured him that while we didn't appreciate being caught in the backwash of his pensive mood, we didn't blame him, either. I said, "Harry, I know you will be there for me should I ever need it. I'm here for you now."

Amazing everyone except for me, Harry managed to eat the entire meal. I ate mine as well, but my appetite has always been somewhere between good and too good. I never knew where Harry came up with the idea for that sandwich, but we soon learned.

"Coming back from Aunt Marge's place, we would always stop here. I would get a stale sandwich and water from a gas station _if_ they thought I'd behaved, which they seldom did. Dudley and Uncle Vernon would get the meal I've just eaten, and Aunt Petunia would get the regular sized fish sandwich meal. I got to watch from the car, and I got hided if I attracted any notice. Unlike the people I watched eat, the food isn't really that bad."

Since we had the notice-me-not and privacy charms up, two tokkuri showed up. At Frank's raised eyebrow, Harry said, "I only had the one pint in Dursley, and I'll only have the one tokkuri. Our trunks are already packed minus the uniforms we'll change into, and it's only half-two. Remus hadn't planned on dropping us off at the gate until five minutes to six, and the Thestral coaches won't take five minutes to get us to the front door. Our breath will be more than fresh enough by then, and the Twins will run interference if it comes to that."

Frank took three boxes of Altoids out of his inside pocket of his suit jacket and passed one to each of us, plus Neville.

He said, "Know your limits."

Neville, whose tokkuri had just appeared, and Harry said, "Thanks."

Neville _wasn't_ kidding about their house.

Three o'clock saw us back at Longbottom Hall, and two minutes past saw us asleep.

§§§

We entered the Great Hall at six o'clock that evening. It was only the second time for us boys, and was the first time for Ginny and Luna. We were all in uniform, including the wing collar for Harry. The rest of us took our seats, while Ginny and Luna went to be sorted. Harry and I both listed to Ginny and Luna bicker light-heartedly. Under their maiden names, Luna _Lovegood_ would be sorted before Ginny _Weasley._ But Ginny _Potter_ would sort before Luna _Weasley._ Of course, there was only the two of them _to_ sort, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Professor McGonagall got everyone quieted down. Professor Dumbledore said, "We have several announcements this evening. First, we have the late sorting of two students, if you please."

Professor McGonagall brought the hat, stool, Ginny, and Luna. The hat merely said, "Hello."

Ginny sat on the stool, and she was almost instantly sorted into Gryffindor. Luna got the same result. The both came to the far end of the table and joined us.

Professor Dumbledore announced, "I'm sure you've heard the news about Mr. Harry Potter and his friends, both the good and the bad. I would ask you to show them the same courtesy you yourself would wish to be shown were you in the same circumstances.

"I would like to announce two staff additions. First, after many centuries of doing the job, Friar Tuck, the Hufflepuff House Ghost, is officially appointed School Chaplain, effective immediately."

Everybody except the Slytherins cheered. After almost a minute, the noise died down. Dumbledore next said, "His appointment shall only last for this week. He will remain as House Ghost for Hufflepuff and Chaplain Emeritus starting Friday Morning. His replacement is already here, and will be the school guidance counsellor in addition to being the regular Chaplain. I would like you to welcome Father Andrew Smith. He is a Hufflepuff alumnus who passed his NEWTs in 1975. If you would stand up please, Father Smith."

Once again, everyone except for the Slytherins cheered. After the students quieted down again, Professor Dumbledore asked, "Would you like to say a few words, Father?"

Father Smith replied, "Thank you, Headmaster. If I may, I would like to say a few complete sentences, since I can't get as much mileage out of my words as you can out of yours.

"I am Father Andrew Smith. As the Headmaster said, I am the school guidance counsellor effective immediately. For those of you who are practicing Catholics, Friar Tuck may no longer offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His authority to do so was based on the emergency of there being no consecrated Priest either serving as Hogwarts Chaplain or serving a parish in Hogsmeade.

"I will post regular hours for the Sacrament on my office door tomorrow. I will also post the hours on the entry door to the Chapel. Friar Tuck _may_ receive permission from the Holy See to resume administering the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Bishop Porter, who is the bishop for the Diocese of Aberdeen, which includes Hogwarts, has requested this permission.

"The Bishop is also a wizard. In the Church, while we generally honour the International Statute of Secrecy, we do _not_ have a separate church for magicals and another one for Muggles. Some, but not all parishes have priests serving that are wizards, Squibs, or have been told about magic by their Bishop. For a list of "safe" parishes in your area, please make an appointment.

"Canon Law requires all Catholics to attend the Mass on Sundays and Holy days of obligation when they are able to do so. Starting with next Sunday, you are able to do so without leaving the school. The number of masses will depend on the number of parishioners I have here. The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered prior to each Mass as needed.

"If you have already received your first Holy Communion but have not been confirmed, please set up an appointment with me.

"If you wish to join the Catholic Church, I will be offering classes to provide for this. Please set up an appointment with me for that. The class is called Roman Catholic Initiation for Adults. I will start this year's class no later than October 15th this year. The classes will culminate in your being baptized if needed, receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion, and Confirmation at the Easter Mass.

"In addition, I am also the general guidance counsellor for the school. You do not have to be a Catholic or have any interest in becoming one to see me; you need only make an appointment.

"For those of you in the Werewolf House…" He turned into a lion, roared, and turned back. "…I am also able to help chaperone, and will assist the Deputy Headmistress and Mr. Hagrid when I am available.

"For those who are not Catholic, you are free to attend the Mass, provided you are there _to_ attend the Mass and not cause trouble for those who _are_ there to attend. You may not receive Holy Communion. Holy Communion is the centrepiece of our particular observances, and is not even shared freely with all _believers._ We do _not_ share it with non-believers.

"If you show up at Mass with the express purpose of causing trouble, I _am_ a Professor. I can, and _will_ assign detentions and remove house points. You _have_ been warned.

"I've taken enough of your time. The Chapel and my Rectory are across from the main entrance to Ravenclaw Tower. Thank you and God bless you."

Father Smith received another round of applause. Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands twice, and the food appeared.

As we started eating, Professor McGonagall walked up to us with our timetables. She said, "This makes things much easier for me, since you were all sorted into the same house."

She handed us our timetables and said, "Your quarters are across the hall from the entry to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione should be able to find it. The password is the same as the other quarters you shared. Father Smith wanted to see you immediately after the feast. You are not in any trouble. However, I understand that three of you are supposed to be taking special religious classes?"

Neville answered her, "Yes, Professor. Ginny, Luna, and I are taking accelerated confirmation classes with Father Smith. The Bishop here and the one back down by London where Hermione and I live are friends with each other and set it up."

Professor McGonagall asked, "What about the rest of you?"

Harry answered, "Hermione was confirmed early with her parents' help. Ron's sacraments from his 'other parish' were approved by the Archbishop, and the Archbishop confirmed me after an interview."

She said, "Well, make sure you put in the effort to catch up with the rest of your classes. Olliver Wood is the Quidditch Captain. He is also walking up behind you."

Hermione handed Harry her "extra" schedule. He handed it to Wood, saying, "I have a _lot_ of stuff going on. Let me know when you need me."

Harry had sped up his eating, and we joined him. He told the table, "No pudding right now. We may have it up in our rooms later." We stood up, and walked towards the Staff Table. Father Smith, who was sitting next to Hagrid, had just finished eating. He looked at us and pointed to himself. We nodded, and turned around as he stood up. A few minutes later saw us at his office and Chapel.

"Come in, please," he said as he let us in. His office was set up with a desk chair, and a sofa and love seat in addition to three chairs in front of his desk. Smith himself was of average build and height. His brown eyes were clear and his hairline was receding.

He raised his privacy wards and said, "This conversation is under the Seal of the Confessional. Bishop Porter told me about at least some of your circumstances, namely the non-public bond. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

Thinking, none of us could think of anything. I checked his aura. He was a priest, and he also had a full Pyx in his pocket.

I replied, "Nothing I can think of right now, Father. How much progress have you made with the Chapel?"

He replied, "Follow me."

We followed him through a connecting door into the sacristy. We walked through it into the nave of the Chapel. He _Lumos'ed_ the lights. He said, "As you can see, it needs just a little more work. I expect to have it ready by Thursday for Bishop Porter to Floo in and consecrate it."

"The other part of why I needed to see you is to have faces to put with names. As I understand it, each public soul bond pair consists of one confirmand and one who is already confirmed. Am I correct?"

Harry answered, "Yes, Father. We will help Neville, Luna, and Ginny study. This will be easier once we have the books that Archbishop Mayhew wants us using."

Father Smith replied, "I have them back in my office. I'll see that you have them before you leave."

I looked around the Nave and the Chancel area. Everything appeared to be set up already. There were two confessionals in the back of the Nave. The Chancel had both an altar along the back wall and a freestanding altar. There was an Ambry on the Gospel side of the Chancel, and a recessed credence table on the Epistle Side. The Epistle Side also had a baptismal font.

Father Smith asked, "You seem to know what you are looking at, and for, Ron?"

I replied, "I do, Father. Did Bishop Porter explain about my particular circumstances?"

He answered, "He said that you knew _much more_ than a typical parishioner, particularly one of your age. He didn't explain why. He said that if I _needed_ to know that you would tell me."

I told him, "Fair enough. The Chapel looks like it's more or less complete as a small parish Church, which I agree with completely. Is the free-standing altar movable?"

He replied, "It is, actually. Are you familiar with the Extraordinary Form of the Mass?"

I said, "I am. That's why I asked about the freestanding altar. Some churches that use both forms of the Mass have the main altar movable, but not obviously so. Others place a platform in front of the main altar, allowing the main freestanding altar to serve both forms of the Mass."

Then, I asked, "Will the Chapel be named?"

Father Smith answered, "It will be named 'The Chapel of St. Hedwig.' She was not only a saint, but also a witch. Bishop Porter was also fortunate enough to get relics of St. Hedwig for both altars. Once we double-check the anti-banishing runes, we will install the relics."

"Will you have Adoration in the Chapel?" I asked.

He said, "Yes. The Tabernacle is on the main altar, and I will have reserved sacrament on hand once Bishop Porter consecrates the Chapel. I will have Exposition from time to time when the Chapel can be watched by trusted people. Remember, I _am_ a Hogwarts Alumnus. While I will evangelise as much as possible, I also know the unique _quirks_ with some families. I will not expose the Blessed Sacrament to the tender mercies of Draco Malfoy or Theodore Nott."

Father Smith told us, "The other part of why I showed you the Chapel right now is that I will need some help cleaning the Chancel area from time to time.

"The Church has yet to figure out whether house-elves have souls. They are sapient beings who deserve kind and fair treatment from humans. Any injury inflicted upon a house-elf is a mortal sin the same way as if inflicted on a human. However, since we don't _know_ if they have souls, we cannot have them clean the Chancel area of a Church or Chapel. Unlike the Nave and Confessional, which the house-elves are already taking good care of, the Chancel area and Votive Candle nook can only be kept up by humans, either the Clerics, or trusted lay-parishioners. As far as I know right now, the six of you _are_ my entire parish."

We returned to Father Smith's office. He indicated the three textbooks and workbooks, which promptly vanished. Harry said, "Thank you, Kreacher."

Having no further need of Father Smith's time, we walked to our new quarters. The door was directly across from the Fat Lady. A portrait of a man walking in the country protected it. Fred, George, and Percy were waiting. Since it was only 7:30, Harry invited them in, after making sure they were well away from the portrait, which Ginny opened.

The quarters were just what we asked for. The main part of our common room was slightly larger than the one we had in our previous quarters. There was also a reasonable-size kitchen, and an attached dining area that would easily accommodate our particular group of people. Doors led off of the common area to the loo, the squad office, and to three bedrooms.

We all sat down in the common room, which was furnished with a sofa, love seat, and numerous wingback chairs, lamps, and tables. Percy asked, "How did the funeral go?"

Harry answered, "It was two of them, and they didn't go as badly as I had feared. Are we going to be dragged to the Gryffindor Common Room?"

All three visitors shook their heads hearing the sound of Harry's voice. He sighed in relief as he ditched his robe, tie, shoes and socks. He said, "Rita Skeeter tried to crash the first funeral in Little Whinging. Ron put-paid to _that_ with a quickness, though! He had her, and her rent-a-mob carted off ostentatiously by the 'Surrey Police Firearms Unit' in handcuffs, charged loudly with aiding and abetting terrorists.

"The second funeral, where we actually _buried_ what was left of the Dursleys didn't go nearly as bad. The weather had let up just a bit, and since I was no longer worried about how many more shoes would drop on top of the funerals themselves, I was actually less of a bother to be around."

Fred asked, "What's with the different vests and robes, and the wing collar, Harry?"

He replied, "Simple. I had to claim my title early in order to keep things from blowing up on Ron and me completely. I had actually done that the night before you guys crashed into the guest quarters, _before_ all of our 'public' marriages. Because of that, we have to wear silk waistcoats instead of jumper-vests, Ron has to wear my House shield with Seneschal crest, I have to wear my House shield with head-of-house crest, and I have to wear the torture device known as the wing collar.

"If I was even remotely fit company, I'd have gone across the hall first. If you guys weren't family, I'd have already sent you packing. I'll hopefully be in a nicer mood tomorrow after classes. Just don't have them expecting me to hang out in uniform."

George said, "Oliver said, that our next practice is Tuesday at 6:00 in the morning. Congratulations to both Ginny and you, by the way."

Harry replied, "Thanks. Tell him that we'll be there, and that Professor McGonagall was _not_ exaggerating. Also, tell him that I prefer first-name basis as well, and that the team may _occasionally_ hang out here. It won't be that often, though. Even for what is publicly known, we _are_ newly married and want to spend with each other.

"This is also our 'home' for the next seven years, not merely a shared dormitory. We will be raising our _families_ here. Oliver doesn't drag people to the Burrow. You don't drag people to _his_ house. Same thing here."

We visited for a few more minutes. They left at about ten past eight. As soon as they were gone, Harry and I looked at the loo.

It was set up exactly as I wanted. There were two shower stalls, plus the bath also had six showerheads, and was large enough for all six of us to take a bath at once comfortably.

The "master" bedroom already had all six of our trunks in it, plus a bed that was slightly larger than the one we had at the Burrow. Like the one at the Burrow, it had the bookcase headboard so Harry's glasses and all of our wand holsters would be close at hand without crawling over anyone first.

The second bedroom was set up so that if and when Neville and Hermione needed to sleep together without the rest of us, that they could do so. The third bedroom wasn't set up yet, but we wouldn't need it until June. The squad room had nine desks, with mine facing two columns of four, all faced together. There was a Pensieve on the side table, ready for use.

We went back into the common room. Harry asked, "First off, are we using one bed or two?"

Hermione and Neville both answered, "One, and no clothes, at leas not for now."

Hermione explained, "Neville and I both get that you're trying to do the right thing. If you weren't the kind of person who always wants to do the right thing, you wouldn't be you. But, with all the bonds running back and forth, we will need to follow the rules a little bit differently. While Neville and I don't need to be with the other four of you the same way you need to be together, we _do_ need it still."

She was stripping as she spoke. She continued, "Second, we'll take a bath together, since I 'felt' that that was what you were working up to. It isn't like the 'games' we play, so hopefully it won't be a big deal. If it is, than I guess Father Smith will need to 'deal' with it. You'll probably be less out of sorts in the morning even with us doing no more than bathing and sleeping together. Well?"

She was now wearing only her bra. The rest of us caught up with each other, with Neville and Harry helping Hermione and Ginny out of their bras.

While the tub filled, we rotated through the showers and four sinks, quickly showering and shampooing. By the time we were done, the tub was filled, and we were able to enjoy a good soak. We chatted away about whatever crossed our fancy as we guys each had a tokkuri and the girls their Brazilian Limeade.

We were in bed by 10:00, and almost immediately asleep, having done no more than relax amongst friends. We awoke the next morning well rested and ready to face the day.


	16. Chapter 16 Classes and Challenges

**Chapter 16, "Classes and Challenges" where Ron finds duelling and a challenge…**

Monday started off decently. We got up at 6:00, and took breakfast in the Great Hall at 6:15. Percy and the Twins joined us a few minutes later. Oddly enough, it was a Professor who approached us first, rather than a student.

"Oh good, you're all here at the same time," Professor Aurora Sinistra said. She was a black woman, stood around five foot six, and weighed about 140 pounds. She had started teaching last year.

She continued, "I've only given one written assignment so far. That is 12 inches on the uses of Astronomy in the magical world. Please have it done _prior_ to our next class meeting on Wednesday night. I will also need you 45 minutes early so that I may make sure you know how to work your telescopes. Do you have any questions for me?"

We didn't, so she walked away, to be replaced by Professor Pomona Sprout. She was a short, plump older woman, weighing about 185, and standing five foot two. Her short curled hair was grey, and she was dressed in clothing suitable for working in a greenhouse. Seeing that all of her classes _were_ in the greenhouses, this made perfect sense.

"Neville, would you please introduce me around?" she asked.

He replied, "Professor Pomona Sprout, the young lady across from me, who only missed last week, is now Lady Hermione Longbottom, my wife. The two gentlemen to my right are in turn Lord Harry Potter, Lord Peverell-Potter, and his Chief Seneschal, Ron Weasley. Across from Harry is Lady Ginerva Potter, Lady Peverell-Potter, and to her left is Luna Weasley. Everybody, this is Professor Pomona Sprout, the Herbology Professor."

She said, "Thank you, Neville. I know Lord Longbottom outside of Hogwarts. I am a friend of his Grandmother, and I've taught him Herbology over the summers.

"Any assignments you missed are missed. Were I to have you submit them, you would likely rush through them, wasting both your time and mine. I'll not count the assignments _against_ you, but I strongly suggest that you review the appropriate chapters in the textbook. I've yet to cover anything in first year that Neville has not already mastered, so have him help you. I wish you a good morning, and I'll see you in class."

Taking out a spiral bond pocket notebook, I noted the two assignments. I told the rest of our group, "A notebook similar to mine will come in handy for each of you. Do _not_ get one that you might mix up with your notebooks from work. Neville's uncle doesn't _care_ if we owe twelve inches to Professor Sinistra."

Ten minutes to seven saw us back in our quarters with our first class not starting until 9:00. Right before we left the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall brought us a written list each of the assignments we still owed. We walked into the squad room. I took the head desk. I had the boys to my left and the girls to my right, with Harry and Ginny being closest, then Neville and Hermione, with Luna sitting on the right end.

I said, "If the desks are set up as I asked your class homework files should be in the file drawer on the left. Your work files will also go there, so keep it neat. The desks are claimable, but I don't want anyone claiming their desks that way just yet.

"We should be able to get Charms at least started before class. We have all of this week and next to finish catching up where the Professor is requiring written work, but I don't want to take that long." Our book bags appeared on each of our desks.

We all were able to complete our Charms assignments by 8:30. We gave each other's assignments a "courtesy look." Apart from Harry's penmanship, everything looked good, and "unique." We left for our first class at 8:40.

§§§

Other than having an "empty" trio of classrooms become the Chapel of St. Hedwig and the Chapel Rectory, Hogwarts had not changed in three lifetimes. We navigated the halls as quickly as we could, while Harry, Ginny, and Luna still looked in awe at the castle, the portraits, and the portions of the 142 known staircases we traversed.

The first classes for four out of six of us, and my first classes this lifetime were Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Neither one was the disaster it could have been.

Potions was first. We arrived at the class room five minutes prior, and the Potions Lab was already open. We went in and took our seats, which were all on our right-hand side of the classroom. At the top of the hour, the door closed, and Professor Snape walked in.

He had not only "got the memo," but for some strange reason was actually following it. He said, "To our 'newest' class members, your Head of House should have already given your written and practicum assignments. You will schedule with me some time _after_ our Wednesday class to sit the practicum. Your written assignments _will_ be turned in on or prior to the due date, with no homework from here out being late.

"Also, Ladies Peverell-Potter and Longbottom, and Mrs. Weasley will be exempt from some of the practical classes. Your head of house will tell which classes those are when the times approach. There will be no such classes prior to Christmas Break.

"As for the rest of the class, your potions brewed ranged from adequate to abysmal. We will therefore start from the _very_ beginning. Today will be lecture on the maintenance of your work area and equipment. Wednesday will be the same on the keeping and preparation of ingredients, and Friday will be a practicum on ingredient preparation. The materials prepared on Friday will not be used for any potion. Your homework for this week will be twenty-four inches each on the subject of today and Wednesday's lectures, due upon entry to the classroom Friday morning, or submitted immediately upon your return to class if you should be excused form classes for whatever reason."

He proceeded to lecture for the rest of the period. Hermione and I both made sure that we had the assignments noted. He walked the lab as he lectured, and allowed no misbehaviour of any kind, particularly from the Slytherins. He did ask questions, but they were driven towards the lecture itself. None of the six of us had any problems. Harry was called upon, but was addressed as "Lord Potter," and was asked a question appropriate for someone who was paying attention to the lecture. He answered it without any difficulty. Seamus Finnegan gave Professor Snape his "fix" for getting an answer completely wrong and taking points from Gryffindor. When called upon, Luna answered the same question without any problem.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was not a disaster, but otherwise it was a complete waste of time. Quirrellmort stuttered and stammered the entire fifty minutes, the classroom stank of spoiling garlic, and Harry's scar ached and itched the entire time.

Deciding that the Great Hall would be a great waste, we went up to our quarters. We ate sandwich points and potato salad with Brazilian Limeade and coffee, and worked on all of our Potions assignments. We finished all of our final copies by 1:30. We were giving each other's essays a courtesy look, when there was a knock on the main door, followed by Professor McGonagall.

Hermione said, "We're in the Squad Room, Professor."

Professor McGonagall walked in to find us just finished with the Potions make up and current assignments. She asked, "Where were you for lunch?"

I answered, "We were here. We worked on our Potions make-up and current assignments while we ate, and continued working. We've already done Charms as well. We were about to read for Astronomy to complete Professor Sinistra's homework for her class Wednesday, where we are expected forty-five minutes prior to ensure our telescopes work and that we know how to use them."

She looked over all of our assignments, and was satisfied with the work. She said, "If you keep up this level of work, that shouldn't be an issue. We want you to attend at least one meal per day in the Great Hall, preferably two. I would ask you to go across to your common room and mingle for a little bit.

"Due to complaints by one or two students, Madam Hooch is teaching another flying class for all first year students starting at three o'clock. Seeing that it is five minutes before two, you should be able to socialize for a few minutes before going down to the training field with your classmates."

We did as Professor McGonagall asked, and went across the hall to the Gryffindor Common Room and dormitories. We socialized with our classmates for a little while, before we all went down to our repeat flying lesson.

§§§

There were eleven of us Gryffindors and ten Slytherins, instead of the nineteen total from both my previous lifetimes. The brooms were set up in two facing rows, one of eleven and the other of ten. Since our group of bond-mates was just a little faster in the hallways, we made it out to the field first. From farthest out back on the Gryffindor side were Harry, Neville, Ginny, Hermione, Luna, me, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Fay Dunbar. All of the first year Slytherins were facing us.

Madam Hooch walked along between the two facing rows. She said, "Everybody stick your hand out over your broom, and say, 'Up.'"

All twenty-one students did so.

She said, "Everybody, mount your brooms."

Everyone did. She stopped by Malfoy, and said, "Mr. Malfoy, that grip was wrong _last_ week, and it's _still_ wrong _this_ week. Fix it."

Other than correcting Malfoy's grip _again,_ there were no problems.

She said, "When I blow my whistle, rise up in the air ten feet, hold, and come back down to the ground. On my whistle, three – two – one – _tweet!_ "

Everyone did as asked. Malfoy, who was across from Hermione, thought that no one would see him hit the nose of Neville's broom with a Knockback Jinx to cause him to lose control of his broom. He was more than sadly mistaken. While Harry grabbed the broom and got Neville under control, Madam Hooch joined us in the air. She forced Draco to the ground and stunned him.

With the terse announcement, "The lesson is over," she stormed off of the field, levitating Malfoy in front of her, and carrying Neville's broom under her arm.

After making sure that Neville was fine, Ginny and Harry took to the skies, and the rest of us, including the Slytherins watched the pair fly until Professor McGonagall came out at 3:45 to get Harry and Neville. At Harry's insistence, the rest of us bond-mates came along as well.

§§§

Draco had tried to lie his way out of trouble. However, he wasn't very good at it. He was also unable to clear his second wand while he was stunned. Since the number of Hogwarts students _authorized_ to carry two wands was less than two, he was in trouble for that as well.

While it was rather impressive for a regular first year to be able to cast near-silently, he still moved his lips, which was clear in the Pensieve memories Hermione, Ginny, and I supplied. He had also used more force than he really needed, which was enough to crack the nose of the broom to the point that it was no longer safe to fly.

In the end, Draco _did_ get _very_ lucky, and no charges were filed. He was given two weeks detention with Hagrid. Slytherin also lost two hundred points. Draco was banned from anything broom related for the rest of the year, and his flying grade was reduced to Troll. His father was also obliged to replace the brooms Draco broke, since he also landed hard and cracked the shaft of the one he was riding along with the one he broke with the Knockback Jinx.

We remained behind after Professor Snape escorted Draco out of the Headmaster's Office. He asked us, "Is there anything else the six of you needed?"

Harry replied, "Yes, Headmaster. We would like to withdraw from Defence Against the Dark Arts for the rest of the year, and seek individual instruction."

Dumbledore asked, "Why are you asking for this?"

Harry answered, "Professor Quirrell makes my scar ache _badly._ I feel it, Ginny feels it, and Ron feels it. Even if the man were able to teach with his particular _attachments,_ we would be unable to learn anything from him.

"He's perfectly fine where he is, we just need permission to _not_ attend his classes without attracting any undue attention from him. My Deputy Seneschal is perfectly qualified to teach Defence to our group, and will not cut corners on our education or training."

I added, "I would also prefer the man were also kept more gainfully employed anytime Gryffindor is playing or practicing Quidditch. He might develop unhealthy _fascinations_ otherwise if left to his own devices."

Professor McGonagall definitely didn't know what Harry and I were talking about. I honestly couldn't tell with Headmaster Dumbledore. But, he proved that he at least suspected.

"Professor McGonagall," he said. "I will speak to these six alone for a moment or two. They are not in trouble, and if possible I will honour their request."

After she left the room, the Headmaster asked, "What do you think you know?"

I answered, "Professor Quirrell has become a Voldemort Supporter now, whether he was back in the day or not. Voldemort is actually possessing him parasitically, and his face would appear on the back of Professor Quirrell's head were he not wearing that outlandish turban. If you notice the strong smell of garlic about him, I think he is using it to cover more _troubling_ odours. If he had not brought his problems quite literally upon his own head, I would actually feel sorry for the man.

"Voldemort _probably_ can't use what you protect to return to a body of his own. The first way everyone thinks of to use the item wouldn't work for him. The other one requires far more study than most do here in the UK. However, probably isn't a sure thing. He _can_ deprive the rightful owner of the item, which would be troubling enough.

"Right now, he poses the least danger because you actually know where he is more or less at all times. You have _actual_ protections guarding the stone beyond Hagrid's Cerberus, and the set of 'magical games' you have emplaced beneath the third floor corridor. As long as we maintain the status quo, and so long as he continues to think he is not wasting his time, we are relatively safe.

"We do not wish to change this 'status quo,' merely remove ourselves completely from the line of fire. The item is safe, and we know where Voldemort is. We simply wish to provide for our _own_ safety as well."

Dumbledore thought a moment. He said, "You speak wisely. The bigger problem I will have is coming up with something that Quirinus will believe that will not attract his concern, or anyone else's. I _will_ work on it. I will let you know as soon as I figure something out.

"In the mean time, we all need to go down to the Great Hall for our evening meal. I venture that Lord and Lady Peverell-Potter will be the toast of Gryffindor for your flying earlier this afternoon."

We left the Headmaster's Office and went downstairs.

§§§

"Toast" was not an understatement. Harry and Ginny were practically _mobbed._ The only Gryffindor who was _not_ pleased was Cormac McClaggen. Since Cormac's father did half of the whinging with Lucius Malfoy doing the rest to inspire the impromptu Flying Class, they were both the "Headmasters of their own correction." We were barely able to eat enough to say we'd eaten. We finally got out of the Great Hall at a quarter past six, only to be accosted by Slytherin's favourite Ferret.

"So, you think you're _something,_ Potter?" he asked in greeting.

Harry's temper was already slightly frayed. He answered, "A _lot_ of people think I'm a great flier, Mr. Malfoy.

"Large concepts seem to elude you, so I'll use small words. FUCK. OFF."

Malfoy answered, "I challenge you to a Wizard's Duel in the Trophy Room at one o'clock this morning. Wands only, no contact."

Crabbe and Goyle started to "menace." Harry was much slower putting away his wand than drawing it, but still had it reholstered just as the two "bookends" hit the floor.

Harry said, "The only way I will accept your challenge is if you accept my terms as a Wizard's Oath, unheard. I will explain the terms if and only if you accept."

Draco either lost his temper completely or had a sudden attack of "profoundly stupid." He shook Harry's hand and answered, "I accept your terms, so mote it be."

Whatever he had expected, he _hadn't_ expected the oath to actually take.

Harry said, "These are the terms you have accepted. You will meet me at one o'clock this morning, which is roughly six hours and forty minutes from now, being no more than five minutes early, and no more than five minutes late. You may bring up to five people with you, though I would recommend no more than two, including your second. You do not have to bring _anyone,_ but _you must be there._ Once there, if we still insist on duelling, we will go to one of the several empty classrooms near the Trophy Room to actually hold the duel. The trophy cases are made of glass, and there are alarm charms on the glass if any of it is broken, so not a good duelling area.

"If you bring a prefect, staff member, or Professor; send any such in your place, or perform any act of perfidy no matter how great or small connected with this duel, even if the duel is completed, you will be marked as a naked perfidious coward. Any clothing you try to wear will instantly banish to your trunk, and if you persist in trying to dress will banish from existence. You will also have a glowing yellow stripe running down the centre of your back from the base of your neck to your tailbone. You will remain in this state for one week _per act of perfidy,_ plus one additional week if you don't show up. Each day will _only_ count if you appear in public, including attending meals in the Great Hall and attending classes.

"The only way to lift _that_ penalty before it runs its course will be to publicly apologise to me in the Great Hall during the noon meal, and _only_ the noon meal, for being a naked perfidious coward. After rubbing your lips with a bezoar I provide, you will kiss my ring, the hem of my robes, and at my option a bare portion of my body.

"Meditating is good. Taking a nap might also be good. Oversleeping will get rather chilly in this castle. We'll see you at one o'clock, Mr. Malfoy. Good evening."

We walked away just as Crabbe and Goyle regained consciousness.

Hermione asked, "Do you actually plan on going there? You _know_ he'll just have a professor or Filch waiting."

Harry replied, "The best that will happen if _I_ don't show up would be to let Malfoy off the hook. It might not be that nice for me. I have no intention of not being there. You _did_ feel the oath binding us, didn't you?"

Hermione thought, and answered, "I guess so, though it's still a stupid idea. Besides, you will get talked to by Father Smith if no one else for making Draco run around starkers all morning, and that's if you aren't actually caught out after curfew."

As the door to our flat closed behind us, Luna asked, "Does anyone think Malfoy might actually be smart enough to show up at the trophy room at one in the morning without trying to get us caught?"

"NO!" we all answered.

Hermione picked up Crookshanks and cuddled with him. He had stayed behind at the Burrow until Lucky Boy brought him out earlier this afternoon.

I went across the hall to the Gryffindor Common Room and found the Twins.

"Fred, George, can you do me a favour, please?"

One answered, "Who are you, and what did you do to our brother?"

The other answered, "And how do expect to leave with something when you show up empty handed?"

I replied quietly, "I need to borrow the Marauder's Map to help Harry get away with a prank. If you want 'something,' and you are both thirsty and able to not show when your thirst has been quenched, you can bring the map across the hall and visit for a few minutes. We'll get it back to you in the morning."

Two minutes later, I was demonstrating the Marauder's Map to the rest of us. Fred and George were enjoying the first of their two 'payment tokkuri' each, as were the rest of us boys. The girls were enjoying Brazilian Limeade in their sleeping clothes and bathrobes, and partly giving us the cold shoulder. Hermione still thought it was a bad idea in the first place, but would wait up just in case our "walking man" went on walkabout like the Fat Lady did overnight sometimes. Ginny and Luna were upset that we didn't want to take them, and Luna was also disappointed because she wanted to see Fluffy the Cerberus.

"So, let me get this straight," Fred said. "Malfoy got a case of 'stupid' or really didn't think a Magical Oath would take, and he agreed to the terms Harry just told us sight unseen. And you think that he's stupid enough to send Filch or Snape?"

"Exactly," Harry answered. " _We're_ going just in case the magic decides to 'run both ways.' No way in _hell_ am I doing anything like what I told Malfoy _he'd_ be doing.

"Besides, if I really _wanted_ to duel the Ferret, I'd have challenged him for right after dinner with Professor Flitwick acting as referee. And why would _I_ want to be out after curfew, anyway? Unless I wanted to go flying, and wanted to that _desperately,_ the most fun I can have in this castle is right here in this room! But instead of taking a bath with my wife and friends, or finishing my backlog of homework, I'm doing shite to set up for duelling a Ferret that I _know_ won't show!"

§§§

Five minutes to one in the morning found us waiting for the Ferret. We heard adult voices, so the Ferret had already won one week of wearing "something cool." It was _both_ Filch and Snape. As they got closer, I could hear them talking.

"But perfesser, your boy _swore_ that Harry Potter and all his friends would be causing trouble here in the Trophy Room, which is always so hard to keep up! I _need_ to catch them!"

Amazingly, Professor Snape replied, "You _need_ to patrol the rest of the castle one last time and go to sleep. You are the _caretaker,_ Mr. Filch. You _help_ maintain discipline as a side business, _only_ when a Professor is not available, which is clearly not the case since I'm here talking to you. Good night, Mr. Filch."

We looked at the map to be sure. Filch and Mrs. Norris, his cat familiar, were both walking away and not backtracking. The Ferret was still abed, and Professor Snape was in the room with us.

He said, "The three of you are not the only ones familiar with the disillusionment charm. I was in the hallway and out of sight when Mr. Malfoy refused to take no for an answer. So, _I_ am not perfidy. Mr Filch _was._ Mr. Malfoy was still asleep in his pyjamas the last time I checked.

"This is the kind of thing your _mother_ would have done. Just as showing me your memory, or perhaps it was mine, but anyway you reminded me why I am still in this mess.

"I have many parts to play in the Play of Life, and not all of them are pleasant. If I am hateful to you, be hateful in return. You do not naturally hide your feelings or lie, which makes protecting your mind challenging at best.

"While I will probably never forgive your godfather for past slights, and dislike that your Deputy Seneschal refused to curb your godfather and father's baser and harsher pranks against me, they are not you, and you are not them. If I survive the war, I might actually want to get to know you better. In spite of suffering 'dear old Tuney's' affections for ten years, you seem to be a decent young man, at least for starting out. My condolences to you, by the way, for the loss of your Aunt, Uncle, Uncle's sister, and cousin.

"It is now five after one. Go directly back to your quarters and get some sleep. With all the turmoil in your lives, you need it. Stay away from the third floor corridor. Professor Quirrell was nosing about at around half-one and Fluffy is _furious._ Good night."

Professor Snape stood, and walked out of the room, towards the Slytherin Dungeons. The three of us wasted no time in getting back to our quarters. We stripped as soon as our door was closed, and joined our still awake wives in bed as quickly as possible. By 1:20, we were asleep, having showered right before we left for the duel that never was.

§§§

While the six of walked to the Great Hall with our book bags, Harry asked, "What gave us away earlier?"

Harry and Ginny had had Quidditch Practice at 6:00. So, despite the lack of sleep, they were both still very up-beat after flying almost non-stop for an hour and fifteen minutes.

I thought a moment and answered, "Soap, Shampoo, and Deodorant. I have gotten out of the habit myself, but I normally use products that have no smell whatsoever. I'm using regular civilian stuff like the rest of you. Did you notice that Professor Snape had almost no scent to him at all? That is _no accident._ You use unscented hygiene products, and mask whatever smell remains when you disillusion yourself."

We walked in to the Great Hall and took our seats. Draco was at the Slytherin Table, with a _lot_ of space between him in all his naked glory, and the rest of his housemates. We served ourselves breakfast, and returned the Marauder's Map to the Twins.

One of the things we agreed to the previous night was that we would _share_ the Map for right now, since it was ultimately the work of James Potter. I had explained that James had learned some "Light Haemomancy" from _his_ dad. And while all four Marauders contributed to the map, and the blood it was drawn in, it was mostly Harry's first Dad who actually made it work. The sharing part came from Fred and George "rescuing" the Map, and that effort was still worth something.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and addressed the students present. "While I would have imposed different 'punishments' than those imposed upon Mr. Draco Malfoy, I will let what has come to pass stand. He has lost an additional one hundred points from Slytherin for gross perfidy and gross stupidity, along with wasting the valuable time of two of our staff members. He will be dressed, or not, as you see him until at least the noon meal today. I understand that if he fails to comply with the terms he had willingly agreed to, he will be dressed thusly for at least the next fourteen days. We are on the verge of autumn in Northern Scotland. Arrogance can be a rather chilly fashion statement here at this time of the year.

"He will also be writing Professor Snape no less than thirty-six inches on the meaning of perfidy, and why it is not acceptable conduct. If someone is doing something wrong, please let us know. The rules are put in place, and we enforce them for _your_ safety and comfort. If you try to trick someone into doing something wrong for the purpose of getting them in trouble, as Mr Malfoy attempted to do, _you_ will get in trouble.

"We will take no action against the student who imposed the more 'visible' part of Mr. Malfoy's circumstances. Mr. Malfoy had every opportunity to not have his circumstances imposed on him, and he refused them all. As I understand, this release can only happen at the _noon_ meal, and only after Mr. Malfoy apologizes to the other individual.

"For the record, duelling outside of the classes that require it is against the rules. If you wish to challenge another student to a duel, you need to speak to Professor Flitwick. If he feels your request has educational merit, he will set the contest up for view by the other students.

"Now, let us finish our meals. Classes will start shortly, and the study of magic is what brings us here together."

It was now 8:20. Breakfast wouldn't last much longer, and the six of us had Charms, with the Slytherins.

§§§

Charms went quite well, all things considered. We were paired up with the Slytherins, but enough distance was kept that Malfoy and his lot weren't quite able to cause any trouble. Not that Malfoy actually _wanted_ the attention he was receiving. He also didn't seem to be used to carrying a towel around to put under his bum to sit on. He was starting to show some bruising.

The class was still working on the Wand Lighting Spell variants. The biggest problem Harry and I were having, was that he was "copying" spells from my mind, and I had long-since passed the point where correct wand movements really mattered. I _could_ use them at need if I _really_ needed to save my energy, but my magic had long since adapted to where I shaped it mostly by intent alone. We were also used to using the "Wand-Crafter" variant of the spell, which requires great control and almost _no_ power, which is the exact opposite of the way most eleven-year-olds cast.

We made sure to leave class without interacting with _any_ of the Slytherins. While they reserved _most_ of the blame for their current predicament for Malfoy alone, that was not _all_ of the blame by any means.

As we walked to the Great Hall, I asked, "Do you have the bezoar with you, Harry?"

"Of course, Ron; I just hope the Ferret has the sense to apologize today. I _thought_ that the terms would either get him to show up and back down, or would be _funny._ I'm _not_ Draco Malfoy, though, and I don't _like_ seeing others suffering. He looks beaten-down emotionally, not just the bruising his house-mates gave him to let him know how much they _care._

"Now, I'm not saying that we in Gryffindor would be any nicer, were I the one to have done what Malfoy did. I just don't want to be part of his problem any more."

As we entered the Great Hall, Malfoy was quietly approaching the Head Table through the centre isle. This was probably less facing up to his "issues" as it was not wanting to walk yet _another_ gauntlet of his fellow Snakes. Deciding not to drag things out, Harry and I did likewise by the side wall.

Malfoy had tears in his eyes, though they were likely more from embarrassment and physical discomfort than from remorse. He asked Harry, "What do I need to do to end this?"

Harry replied, "No more and no less than what you agreed to. You must apologise to me for being a naked perfidious coward, kiss my ring, and the hem of my robes.

"I would recommend one other thing, though. In life, we are occasionally given the choice between what is right, what is easy, and what is truly wrong. Oftentimes, choosing what is right is not easy. However, if we chose what is _easy,_ or what is _wrong,_ someone always pays for that choice, whether they had anything to do with it or not.

"When you believe not only in your own superiority, but also in the inferiority of others, and their not deserving decent treatment because of that so-called inferiority, you in one way or another inflict pain upon them or cause them suffering, even if only by silent consent. If you face such a choice, try to remember what it feels like to be on the other side of the equation. After all, you are the son of what Muggles would call a Baronet. I am what Muggles would call an Earl, and in my own right thanks to the gentle mercies of the _thing_ your father served. You yourself told me that my mother 'had it coming to her' for opposing _it._

"You had wanted to set me up for similar difficulties to what you've brought upon yourself this morning. Had you not sought that, you would not be here in front of this hall. You sought to manipulate others for your own amusement. You were even willing to lie to magic herself for your own personal gain. Magic wasn't willing to play along with you, so here you are now, more humiliated than you could possibly imagine just one day ago. You assaulted my political ally and sworn-brother, destroyed two school brooms, and acted as if it was _my_ fault you had done so.

"Think wisely, speak kindly, and do what is right. Your problems are of your own making. Solving those problems will also have to start with you. Now, kneel before me and apologise. You look rather cold as well as hungry.

I couldn't read Malfoy. But, he did as Harry asked him. Kneeling before Harry, Malfoy's voice did quaver, but was firm enough, and carried through the hall.

He said, "I, Draco Malfoy, apologise to Magic and to you, Lord Harry James Potter, Earl of Godric's Hollow and Stinchcombe, and Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell-Potter, for being a naked perfidious coward, and for falsely challenging you to a duel which I had no intentions of attending."

After Harry wiped his lips with the bezoar, Malfoy kissed Harry's ring and the hem of his robes. The yellow stripe disappeared, but he was still naked. Without saying a word, Harry removed the crests from his robe, placed it over Malfoy's shoulders, and fastened it. The facings of the robe changed from scarlet to green.

Harry walked back to the edge of the Great Hall in his waistcoat, with me following behind. Not a sound could be heard beyond our footfalls. Lunch was eaten in almost total silence.

§§§

All six of us attended Reconciliation separately before lunch on Thursday. After classes were over, Bishop Porter officially consecrated the Chapel and concelebrated a votive Mass of Thanksgiving to open the Chapel. Father Smith had held Reconciliation for an hour before vesting for the Mass, plus whoever had seen him in appointments. With almost no fanfare, forty students, including the six of us, received communion along with Professors Sprout and Sinistra.

There was a communion rail with a gate at the front of the Nave. The rail had a ward that could be raised and lowered, minimizing the ability of _some_ to cause trouble without requiring a constant guard be on hand whenever the Nave was open for prayer and meditation.

Father Smith went with having Reconciliation run for an hour before each mass, and ending fifteen minutes prior to the start of the mass. He also went with having both a vigil mass and a Sunday Mass, since there were more parishioners available to attend then there were seats in the Chapel.

Since Harry and I were the most "knowledgeable" parishioners, we were also obliged to act as Altar Servers for the Masses. Father Smith also had me act as Lector, and we along with Neville and our wives led when Father Smith wanted hymns sung. There was a Ravenclaw fifth year who had been confirmed before starting Hogwarts and who knew enough about how to play an organ to get by.

Harry and I actually lasted until the following Tuesday before we ended up having to have sex. We were also starting to get physically achy because the bond was "acting up," so it ended up being between two very warm showers. At least we were able to let go of each other after we were done.

So, September moved into October. We were long-since caught up with our class-work from missing the first two weeks of classes. Starting with the last week of September, we were "required" to attend special classes that could only be held after Potions on Mondays, and would study Defence Against the Dark Arts with a different professor at a different time, so as not to increase Professor Quirrell's workload.

Our "confirmation classes" for Neville, Luna, and Ginny were progressing nicely. The wedding plans were also coming along. We planned on having a triple-wedding on the 16th of November at St. Benet. Pandora, Michelle, and Mum were going all out to set things up. Pandora and Mum were also going all out to ensure that the plans were _not_ picked up by the press, and that the magical guests were comported in such a way as to not break the Statute of Secrecy.

We guys had also started on physical fitness and training. For now, the girls were also working with us, and would keep doing so until their pregnancies had progressed far enough along that they no longer could. It turned out that all three girls were carrying twins. I had done my test early enough that the two babies Ginny was carrying had shown up as only one. Since Harry didn't try to copy that particular spell, no one had checked her until Madam Pomfrey did in our second week back.

October brought Halloween, and I don't think that _any_ version of Harry had a "nice" Halloween at Hogwarts while enrolled as a student there.

§§§

Halloween of 1991 was a Thursday. Father Smith had a Memorial Mass at 6:30 based on the readings for the 31st of October. He would celebrate the Vigil Mass for All Saints Day at 5:00 in the afternoon, letting out just in time for the Halloween Feast. The Mass went off without any trouble. We bond-mates ate in the Great Hall, and were off to classes.

During Charms that morning, we covered the Hovering Charm, like the previous two times. Unlike the previous two times, all six of us managed to perform the charm on the feather without attracting any particular attention.

Fay Dunbar wasn't so lucky. She had paired-off with Seamus Finnegan, who was much better at blowing things up than hovering them. They worked together at first, before Fay managed to get on Seamus's nerves. He fired back verbally, more words were exchanged, and Fay fled the classroom in tears. She ran into the girls' loo, and refused to come out.

As the six of us entered the Great Hall for lunch, we caught up with Percy. Deciding to cover all our wickets more than once, I spoke with him.

"Percy, can I ask a favour of you?"

"Sure, Ron, provided Harry and you aren't pulling weird shite with Malfoy again and trying to get me involved."

"Malfoy hasn't caused any trouble, Percy. But Seamus Finnigan and Fay Dunbar had a blow-up at the end of Charms Class this morning. She's barricaded herself in the girls' loo in the Charms Corridor and refuses to come out. If she's still there during the feast, I need to know. I also need _all_ the house prefects to keep track of _all_ their students.

"You know how the weird shite is going on with the third floor corridor? Well, _I_ think that if anyone was going to try anything peculiar with that, that they would do it during the Halloween Feast. I just don't want any students involved if stuff starts happening, you know?"

Percy thought for just a moment, before answering, "We prefects are _supposed_ to be doing that anyway. I'll talk to the prefects in all the other houses. I can't guarantee any cooperation from Slytherin, though. While their fifth year prefects aren't foaming at the mouth bigots, they are obliged to get along with plenty who are, and will only cooperate so much with a 'blood-traitor.'"

"Thanks, Percy," I answered as we sat down to eat.

Fred and George sat down across from us. One asked, "What are our favourite firsties up to today?"

The other added, "And why were you asking Percy to keep track of people, and not us?"

I answered both of them, "Who said I _wasn't_ asking the two of you?

"I've got a hunch and not that nice of one. It's bad enough that I _want_ to be wrong and look the fool. You know how that troll is trapped in the third floor corridor? And do you know what 'Fluffy' is?"

One answered, "You notice a lot. Don't go _near_ that corridor!"

The other replied, "And 'Fluffy' _isn't._ Haven't a clue how Hagrid got it _in_ there."

I headed them off, saying, "I was using that as an _example._ I know what 'Fluffy' is, and have no desire at all to visit with him, at least not where he is.

"But I have a _feeling_ that someone _might_ try something stupid, and I don't want anybody getting hurt. Fay Dunbar has shut herself up in the girls' loo, and won't come out. If the girls can't get her out, she'll still be there during the Halloween Feast. What I was hoping you lot could do for me is to sit across from us like you're doing right now, with the map handy. If something stupid happens, you can see for sure if Fay is still in the loo, and if anybody _else_ is anywhere other than the Great Hall."

Fred and George looked at each other, and nodded.

One answered, "Ok, we'll do it, just as long as you aren't trying to bust people out for getting what you've already got, right?"

I replied honestly, "I'm not sure I get that?"

The other replied, "Oh, my naïve little brother, even with all the… Well, it's like this. The broom closets are 'reserved' for boyfriend-girlfriend couples. If you're bent, flying solo, or your girlfriend or boyfriend didn't fly you 'all the way there,' you go to the loo. Not everyone wants to try it in the dorm loos, because it's too embarrassing if you get walked in on. And no one likes an audience, so you usually don't do it in bed, even with the curtains closed, until you get very good with the banishing charm.

"You shouldn't see a _lot_ of that with the Feast, because a person would be missed if they didn't show up. But on a regular night, you see a _lot_ of it, or rather; you _don't,_ since you want _your_ privacy like they want theirs. If you use a loo outside of the dorms to go to the loo, you use the stalls closest to the door. If you are using the loo to _not_ use the loo, you use the stalls farthest from the door.

"You also take off your shoes. You can only see someone's feet with as low as the partitions go down. If they're wearing shoes, they're using the loo. If not, you give them their privacy."

I answered, "Thanks, I _think._ But tonight, _if_ something unusual happens, I will _need_ to know who or what is not in the Great Hall with us, and _where_ they are, ok?"

"Fair enough!" they answer in unison before taking off.

The girls joined us right after Fred and George left. Ginny asked, "What where _they_ on about, Ron?"

I answered, "They weren't on about anything. I asked them to use the map for us and sit across from us during the feast. Any luck with Fay?"

Luna answered, "Not at all. Seamus has really filled her head with Wrackspurts _this_ time. They both _like_ each other, and have even confessed to each other. But they _both_ lose their tempers too easily. And, he hasn't even tried to apologize yet."

Ginny, who was watching the door, said, "Not so fast, Luna."

Seamus walked in to the Great Hall, trying to not attract notice and get some lunch quickly before the house-elves stopped serving. He had quite the 'shiner' going.

With nothing further to do, we retired to our flat and studied until we had to get ready for Mass. Since Harry and I were serving, and I was also Lector, we would be missed, even if we were inclined to skive off. We went to the Vigil Mass and from there to the feast.

§§§

The feast had gone on for about half an hour before Professor Quirrell ran into the Great Hall, shouting, "TROOOL! IN the Dungeons! Thought you ought to know," finishing with his fake faint.

I looked at Fred, who was across from me. He looked at the map, and turned pale. He said, "There are _three_ trolls. One is still trapped in the third floor corridor where it's been since school started. The second is walking towards the girls' loo with Fay Dunbar, and the third is walking towards the boys' loo with Draco Malfoy, on the other side of the Castle."

Taking the map, I said, "All six, follow me."

We ran up to the Head Table just as Dumbledore got the Great Hall quieted down. I told him, "Headmaster, we need to keep the students _here,_ so they'll be safe. Someone also needs to make sure Quirrell doesn't go on walkabout or otherwise cause trouble. Hagrid and Father Smith can guard the Great Hall. Professor Snape needs to check on Hagrid's pet. I need you to take Harry, Ginny, and Luna for backup and rescue Fay Dunbar from the girls' loo by Professor Flitwick's classroom. I need Professor McGonagall, Neville, and Hermione to back me up rescuing Draco Malfoy from the boys' loo by the Chapel."

Dumbledore looked at the map. He replied, "You'll also take Father Smith. The rest of the teachers and staff remaining can hold the Great Hall."

He then announced, "We have the situation under control. The feast will continue _here._ Some of us will need to retrieve two students who are not here, and deal with the Troll. Let the feast continue."

The students started back in eating, while Dumbledore gathered and instructed the needed people. He sent Professor Snape first, and discretely. He sent Father Smith to Professor McGonagall and me, and summoned Fawkes.

I summoned Lucky Boy and said, "Touch my familiar. He will bring us in to the rear of the Troll. We are _not_ trying to capture it!" The five of us touched the Kneazle, and were transported.

We arrived just as the Troll entered the boys' loo. Wasting no time, I banished the door.

I said, "Neville, Hermione, protect Draco and get him out of there. Be careful with him, since I haven't a clue what's going on. Father, watch our backs. Professor, Transfigure while I provide fire."

We entered the room as the troll started busting sinks and stalls. Professor McGonagall transfigured the club into candyfloss. I hit it in the base of the neck with as powerful a blasting curse as I could fire. The curse was enough to snap the troll's neck and start it pitching forward. I cast a summoning charm at the troll's shoulders, causing it to pitch backwards with some effort. With the troll on its back and unable to move anything below its head, Hermione and Neville went to the stall. Neville banished the stall door.

I called out; "Clear!" after making sure that we only had the _one_ troll. Neville and Hermione each called out "Clear!" in turn. I approached the last stall to see what had Neville and Hermione stunned and speechless.

Malfoy had been using the loo, and had been targeted by the troll purely by chance. Judging by the contents of the bowl, he ended up using the loo as intended. Judging by the magazine in his hand, and that his trousers, boxers, socks and shoes were on top of the tank, he had not been using the loo for the more appropriate purpose originally. Judging by the pictures, _Hermione_ would be more expected to look at the magazine for "inspiration."

I leaned into the stall and stage-whispered, "Banish the book and get dressed."

Draco was practically catatonic. He _handed me_ the magazine, and started to dress mechanically. Banishing the magazine before removing my hand to Professor McGonagall's view, I said, "He appears fine, just scared witless, not that I wouldn't be were I in his place."

Next, I said, "Hermione, get back to Professor McGonagall, so Neville and I can help Malfoy if he needs it. Once he is composed, Neville and I will help him past the troll."

Malfoy picked up speed as he got dressed. It took him half a minute to get his boxers on and to his knees, but he was fully dressed in just over a minute. He needed help standing up and getting his clothing fully put on and arranged, but that was expected after what had just happened.

Neville and I got him past the troll, and handed him off to a speechless Professor McGonagall.

Malfoy asked, "What happened to the troll?"

Professor McGonagall replied in shock, "Mr. Weasley happened tae it."

I went to holster my wands, and realized that _I hadn't drawn either one since Charms._ Oops!

Taking a moment, I called Harry through his bond. He was conscious, and not in any noticeable pain, but didn't answer.

I called out, "Father Smith, Professor, get them back to the Great Hall. Harry needs backup!"

Neville and I grabbed Lucky Boy at the same time, and we were transported to the girls' loo.

Fay Dunbar was uninjured but catatonic. Harry was slightly better, though his uniform was more or less trashed, as was the girls' loo. Ginny was comforting him. The top of the troll's head was gone.

I asked, "What happened?"

Luna replied, "We came in right as the troll entered the loo. It was enraged and hungry. It started busting the stalls as you can see. The Headmaster Transfigured the club into a flock of starlings that attacked the troll's head. Before anyone else could do anything, Harry vaulted up the troll's back, shoved his wand into its nose, and fired a blasting hex. The Headmaster slowed the troll's descent so Harry wasn't hurt while riding it down. He didn't expect the noise or the gore."

I took out the map. Professor Snape was walking towards us from where Fluffy was being kept. Fluffy was still on guard, as was the troll further in the trap gauntlet. No other trolls were in the building, and everyone else was in the Great Hall, except for us, and Professor McGonagall's bunch, who were walking towards it.

I sent an Adfero to Professor McGonagall. _"Adfero Minerva McGonagall_ Professor, Neville came with me unannounced. All's well at the girls' loo. Our group should be returning with the Headmaster shortly _Adfero."_

Professor Snape limped up to us. He reported to the Headmaster while allowing me to listen in. "Someone had tried to feed the blasted animal poisoned meat. I was able to banish the meat from the hall where the hellhound had flung it. It took more than a fair bit of _persuasion_ on my part to get the blasted thing shoved back far enough to close and lock the door."

I offered him a general healing draft. He refused, saying, "That's _my_ brew that you bought from the Alley. I've already taken _two._ Things like _that_ require actual healing to fix up after."

Lucky Boy sniffed Professor Snape's leg, looked at me, and shook his head sadly.

I reported, "Mr. Malfoy was using the boys' loo, apparently believing that he would have more _privacy_ then he ended up with, or so it would seem. Someone needs to 'give a peek' to make sure that he wasn't actually 'in' on the night's entertainment. If someone _suggested_ to him that the loo he used for seeking privacy would be ideal for his needs, we'll need to know who that was, too."

By now, Harry had mostly recovered. I asked him through the bond, _"I can feel that you aren't quite all right yet. Are you still up to going back to the Great Hall?"_

He answered likewise, _"I need you. If we have to go to confession before Mass tomorrow, I still need you. We'll need to all be involved, since only you are still calm."_

Dumbledore sorted Harry's uniform, and then gathered the eight of us together. He had Fawkes drop us off just outside of the Great Hall. I asked him, "Will you need anything else from me, Headmaster?"

He replied, "Nothing tonight, Mr. Weasley. I would ask that you and yours remain a few minutes before leaving, and that you have your familiar take you directly."

We entered the Great Hall. Quirrell was up at his spot at the head table. He looked displeased, but not as if he suspected anything involving Harry or me. Malfoy was at the Slytherin table eating. He looked as if he had been dosed with a calming draft, which he probably was. Fay Dunbar and Seamus Finnigan walked up to each other and hugged, crying on each other's shoulders.

The Headmaster was back up at the head table. He made another announcement. "Due to the aid of some intrepid students, we were able to take care of the troll problem. The feast will continue for another hour, and all classes tomorrow morning are cancelled. The Heads of House will accompany their students back to their House Dormitories once the feast has concluded."

We remained for five minutes before having Lucky Boy transport us to our common room. After we arrived, a silver lion joined us. It said, "You will not be expected for Mass tomorrow morning, though you will be welcome if you show up. I will want to see all six of you tomorrow at 10:30, however you comfort each other. If you need me to visit you after the feast, I can do so, if you send me a message. Otherwise, I'll see you tomorrow."

We ended up simply going to bed and instantly falling asleep. We slept in the next day until 9:00.


End file.
